Budget concerns hit Libertyville breakfast

In past years, goal-setting for Libertyville trustees and staff would be done over breakfast at Wildberry restaurant, a nod to the value of getting away from the office.

This year, the pow wow is scheduled for the village hall board room. Coffee will be served, but there will be no frills. In one of the toughest economic times in decades, every penny is being pinched.

"We're just being as responsible as we can. Anything we can cut, we're going to cut," said Mayor Jeff Harger.

According to the village, the tab for the 2008 goals meeting last January was $181. With an overall budget of about $55 million, such a minuscule expense could easily fall through the cracks. But nothing is being taken for granted.

"We expect everybody else to tighten their belts," Trustee Bob Peron said. "We can do work and buy breakfast on our own. It won't save a whole lot of money but it's the right thing to do."

The savings will apply to the current 2008-09 budget, which in November was said to be operating at a deficit of $634,000. At the time, the board was told the expected shortfall for 2009-10 was $940,000 with no increase in sales tax revenue expected.

How that will affect goals for the next fiscal year is hard to say. The village board last fall informally discussed a range of possibilities, including carry-overs from the current year.

Department heads and other staffers will discuss the goals in more detail Friday, with the village board setting priorities for an official vote likely in February.

As it stands, some of what can be accomplished next year will be done in house, such as updating the municipal code and comprehensive plan. Others, like improvements to Sunrise Rotary Park, will depend on available cash but none involve large expenditures.

The most significant carry-over goal is building a new $8.6 million parking deck on the west side of Milwaukee Avenue to ease parking downtown. That project, which began Monday, is being paid for through a special fund established decades ago for downtown-area improvements.

Aside from annual goals, the village faces a tough road with next year's budget. "It's getting tough," Harger said. "There's not a lot left to cut."