Glen Ellyn starts work on challenging budget

Glen Ellyn is just getting started on what officials say will be one of the most challenging budgets in years.

Like so many towns surrounding it, the village has been faced with a decrease in income from waning sales, property and income taxes as well as less building and development fees.

Initially, the village staff was looking at a $2.6 million deficit, which has been pared through cuts.

Village Manager Steven Jones said he didn't want to discuss specific cuts until the village board has been updated on the budget, but that deficit has been reduced to $600,000.

"That $600,000 is going to be the toughest part (to cut out of the budget)," Jones said. "Right now everything's on the table. We have lots of really hard choices and decisions to make."

Jones said the revenue coming in for the fiscal year starting May 1 is expected to be the same as 2005, which was about $39 million. In this past year, the revenues were projected at $40 million. The year before, the village was looking at close to $43 million of income.

The focus of this budget will be to maintain basic services for the town, such as police, public works and building inspections. The village already has a hiring freeze in place going back to last year.

"It's what I think will be a streamlined and bare bones budget," Deputy Village Manager Curt Barrett said.

Glen Ellyn also will have to plan ahead for pension funds, which suffered a blow in October. The village contributions to those funds in the next two years are expected to increase.

The first public workshops for the budget likely will take place at the beginning of February.

More meetings are scheduled in March, and the budget is expected to be approved by the end of April.