Officials say Roselle budget shortfall stabilizing

Midway through Roselle's fiscal year, officials say the village's current budget shortfall is stabilizing.

Village Administrator Jeff O'Dell said Monday the village is projecting an approximate $300,000 revenue shortfall this year, compared to the shortfall of nearly $1 million Roselle faced last year.

Officials said sales tax and income tax revenues are still a concern, with a combined shortfall of about $290,000. But property taxes yielded about $100,000 more than expected this year, they added.

"All of our department expenditures are in line or below where we budgeted, so I think things are looking better than where we were at this time last year," O'Dell said.

Roselle has been able to get its finances back in line with a combination of initiatives, including voluntary retirement packages, pay cuts and raise freezes for village employees, increasing liquor license fees and raising the village's amusement tax from 1 to 3 percent. Some services, such as brush collection, were cut back or eliminated.

Next month, the village board also is set to approve adding a 1 percent tax on Roselle eating establishments; that's projected to generate about $150,000 annually.

"All of this has helped mitigate the shortfall from last year and put our budget in a better position so we can deal with lesser revenues in the future," O'Dell said.

The village board on Monday also agreed to not replace a retiring deputy police chief and a retiring police sergeant, which saves $275,000 in payroll plus benefits. In addition, they agreed to hire a part-time worker to replace a retiring fire department secretary, whose full-time salary is $35,000.

The board is unsure of how it will replace the retiring village engineer, however, who is responsible for overseeing infrastructure issues like street and wastewater projects.

O'Dell said the board is also taking another one or two months to determine if pay cuts, furlough days and the freeze on raises must continue for nonunion Roselle employees.

"I think we still need more time to determine where the village is at financially," he said. "The important thing is we've asked our employees to do a lot, so compensating them should be first and foremost on our mind."