Carpentersville pulls plug on fireworks
Looming budget shortfalls and imminent cuts have forced Carpentersville to withdraw its support of the Dundee Township Park District's pre-Fourth of July fireworks show.
Trustees voted 5-0 Tuesday night denying a park district request for a $7,500 donation toward the fireworks display and concert. The park district and Carpentersville were co-sponsors of the event.
With the village facing an almost $2 million shortfall in the 2010-2011 budget year and deficit to close out the current fiscal year, village board members said tough fiscal decisions must begin.
"We have to make some hard cuts and we have to make them now," Village President Ed Ritter said. "There is going to be pain ... It is a hard decision, but it is an easy one for me: a fireworks display compared with a person's job."
Trustee Kay Teeter said the money would better serve the village if it were appropriated elsewhere.
"If we save this money, it will show up in the budget somewhere else," Teeter said. "I enjoy the fireworks, but we have to do all we can to save jobs."
Park District Executive Director Tom Mammoser said the village's withdrawal of financial support does not mean the end to a decades-old summer tradition.
"We certainly respect the financial position that they are in," Mammoser said before the meeting. "If they are unable to contribute, it is certainly indicative of the times that we are in. The park district will continue to make every effort to have fireworks this summer in the same manner that we have had in the past."
Although the village would not contribute financial support, Mammoser said support from the police and fire departments were also integral services Carpentersville provided for the event.
Mammoser said the park district may need to pare down the amount of fireworks and would also consider other options, such as finding other sponsors or dipping further into the park district's funds.
"We hope this is a temporary change in how we do things," Mammoser said. "We understand the position they are in and the difficult decisions they have to make."