Glen Ellyn takes staffing steps to reduce budget

Along with laying off three full-time employees, Glen Ellyn is taking other steps regarding staffing to keep its budget in line this year.

Two part-time employees - a custodian and mail clerk - also were given notice on Monday; eight cashiers will have their hours reduced by 10 percent; and one full-time community service officer will go to part-time.

The cashier reductions will mean the extended hours on Thursday evenings, where the village hall front desk was open until 7 p.m., will be eliminated. However, residents still can conduct most of their village business at the 24-hour police department window and during normal hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Finance Director Jon Batek said the current budget includes 129.5 full-time equivalents, but the 2009-10 budget shows a reduction of 5.2 people. The full-time positions eliminated Monday were a facilities manager and two secretaries.

The village also is not filling three vacant police positions and a fire inspector job, and eight department managers are not getting raises. The rest of the staff is being limited to a 1.5 percent raise.

"We thought about making it zero, but these are people who are going to be doing more with less," Village Manager Steve Jones said. "To penalize them for these circumstances is unfair."

Combined, the measures will save the village about $476,000. The cuts are in preparation for the coming budget cycle, which was showing a $2.6 million deficit in January. Even with staffing cuts, the village is expecting to be about $400,000 in the red.

To attempt to counter that, Jones has proposed a 1 percentage point increase in the sales tax, which would bring in $875,000 for part of the fiscal year.

If that measure is not approved by the village board, Jones said the next cuts will be to forestry services and maintenance of the central business district.