Des Plaines Ward 3 candidates weigh in on economy, city finances
The three candidates vying for Des Plaines' Ward 3 alderman seat on April 7 say city finances and the economy are among their top concerns.
After laying off 12 employees, scaling back operations, privatizing some city services and other cuts, Des Plaines' 2009 operating budget is $56 million, an increase of 1.3 percent from the previous year. The city's overall budget is $120 million, which includes capital programs.
Candidate Matt Bogusz questions whether the city needs to spend that much when neighboring Mount Prospect's budget is roughly $97 million.
"We have roughly the same population and roughly the same footprint," said Bogusz, 22, a Des Plaines Library board member who formerly worked on the mayor's Special Events Commission. "We're talking tens of millions of dollars difference. We need to answer why that is before we understand how to fix it."
Bogusz said city officials need to look at where they can eliminate inefficiencies and do more long-term financial planning.
Former alderman Wayne Elstner said his first priority is making sure the city lives within its means, which it hasn't done since last May when the city council approved a 4-year union contract guaranteeing a 3.5 percent yearly pay raise.
"How can you possibly do that with people out there struggling and high unemployment," Elstner said. "How can you do that when you have no idea what the future of the economy is going to be."
Elstner served as Ward 3 alderman from 1993 to 2001 before losing his re-election bid to Alderman Laura Murphy, who is leaving due to term limits. He said if elected, he would insist on shorter contracts with smaller percentage increases in future.
He added that the city needs to bolster its fund reserves for use in emergencies such as flooding and buying more road salt.
Even with the budget cuts, the city has only one month of operating expenses on hand in the general fund instead of the preferred three months.
"The standard is 20 percent for a city fund balance," Elstner said. "You never know what will happen tomorrow. With revenues that low, we're not that prepared."
Candidate Michael Kochevar said current and former city councils should have had the foresight to raise taxes more over the years to prepare for future revenue shortfalls.
"They boasted about not raising taxes," said Kochevar, 59, a retired telephone company employee. "We had a surplus of $26 million and that surplus has dwindled to about $11 million to $13 million right now. What's going to happen is they are going to raise taxes now. You can't run (the city) on one month's worth of money."
Kochevar said all the things he would like to accomplish, such as flood control, repaving streets and building dual sewer systems, need money.
"The problem is because of the economy the way it is, everything is tight," he said. "The only way I see that we can really still maintain the same services that we have, we have to tighten our belts."