Wheaton budget increasing for infrastructure projects
Proposed infrastructure improvements will push spending up about 10 percent in Wheaton’s projected 2012-2013 budget, officials said.
The budget, which calls for no staff reductions or major program cuts, is projected to grow to $89.1 million from last year’s $81 million.
Officials said much of that increased spending will go toward several construction projects scheduled to begin in late spring and early summer.
One project calls for spending $1.6 million for a test program to rehab the sanitary sewer system on the city’s north side.
The project also calls for inspections to determine if there are any improper sewer connections at 600 properties in that area. The city council will review results of the test program in the summer of 2013 to determine whether to pursue a citywide rehab with an eye toward reducing excess flow from the sanitary sewer system.
The city also will pursue a project aimed at reducing flooding on Main Street between Cole Avenue and Park Circle Drive that will cost $2.9 million this year. Construction will begin in late spring or early summer, widening Winfield Creek and building a roadway bridge.
“These are things that quite honestly have been deferred for a while, important issues that we discussed during our planning sessions almost a year ago,” Mayor Michael Gresk said during a public hearing on the budget Monday night.
No property tax increases are expected to fund the budget, although the spending plan does contain some fee increases, such as the one the council approved last fall for ambulance service.
“We are able to do this in the context of the existing tax levy,” Councilman Phil Suess said. “Even more important, we are taking on some very significant capital improvements.”
When combining all funds in the budget, spending will exceed revenues by $5.3 million. But the general fund, the city’s main operating fund, generates a surplus of $1.2 million.
Finance Director Robert Lehnhardt said the city will plug the gap caused by capital projects with reserve funds and proceeds from a 2010 $6 million bond issue.
“We build up reserves to pay for these capital projects so not every year are you going to match the revenues with the expenditures,” Lehnhardt said.
Here’s a look at other highlights from the budget, scheduled for a city council vote April 2:
Ÿ The Wheaton Public Library will receive $100,000 more from the city, boosting its total funding from property tax revenues to $3.4 million.
Ÿ The number of full-time employees will stay the same, but four positions were added in the proposed budget to replace other posts, including a systems analyst in the information technology department, a fire department lieutenant, a civil engineer in the engineering department and assistant director of finance in the finance department.
Ÿ About $75,000 was added for new sidewalk construction after three workshops on the budget on March 10, 12 and 17.