Board Bits: Village Budget, Concert Series Tickets and Voter Turnout

Despite the economy's impact on local governments everywhere, the Village Board was excited to pass a balanced budget Monday night for fiscal year 2012.

The budget accounts for about $60.4 million in expenditures, but offsets that with $61.9 million in revenue. Village trustees and Finance Director Kim Auchstetter acknowledged the village has been a conservative spender and kept new expenses to a minimum because of the economy.

“The recession continues to negatively impact municipal budgets throughout the nation and ours is no exception," Auchstetter said in her budget presentation document.

As with the previous fiscal year, residential development remains at record lows, the budget report stated. Staff was "extremely" careful projecting commercial building activity, Auchstetter said. Next year, the village is anticpating construction of the University of Chicago Cancer Center, additional development near Walmart and the completion of the Provena Medical building off Route 3o, all of which will bring in building permit revenue.

The budget also included revenue from 25 residential building permits, which is based off similar estimates from the previous year.

The village has also tried to keep personnel costs and new equipment purchases to a minimum. Three positions totaling nearly $75,000 were added to the payroll, though two are part-time. The village is in its second year of recognizing the savings of 12 vacant positions, which saved about $1 million, and salaries have been frozen for those two years.

The budget calls to replace three police vehicles and adding two dump/plow trucks to the street department. Two pickup trucks and one utility truck added to sewer and water funds. The village has held off purchasing replacement equipment for several years and the purchases in the proposed budget were deemed "necessary" to maintain current service levels.

Here's what else was discussed at the meeting:

VOTER TURNOUT

All four candidates for the Village Board—Mayor Tim Baldermann and Trustees David Butterfield, Nancy Dye and Keith Madsen—ran unopposed and were re-elected last week. But that doesn’t mean they were satisfied with the results. Voter turnout was just 14.6 percent in New Lenox, disappointing the board members.

"Local government affects you more than any other entity," Madsen said.

Additionally, Baldermann gave an update on the , which passed with 60 percent of the vote. There are two required public meetings to explain the referendum, likely to be held in May and June, and Baldermann said the board will use that time to set parameters for what the village would like in its electricity provider, such as monthly budgeting.

TRIPLE PLAY TICKETS

Baldermann said ticket sales are doing very well, and by the end of the month will likely have sold more than all of last year. After April 30, non-residents will be able to purchase tickets for $60.

The mayor also publicized that the village is selling insulated bags for $3 if residents want to purchase them and bring them to the concert. He said that the bags could help concertgoers carry multiple bottles of beer (the bags fit six to eight bottles) without having to continuously wind through crowds.

Alcoholic beverages will be sold at the concerts.* No one is allowed to bring their own food or drink into the concert, and all bags will be checked going into the concert grounds on the Commons. Residents may bring their own insulated bags into the concert, but coolers are not allowed.

VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR REPLACEMENT

Baldermann said there were 67 “qualified” applicants to replace outgoing Village Administrator Russ Loebe. The board members are meeting in closed session to discuss the applicants, and Baldermann said a decision could be made relatively soon.

Loebe in February, following 40 years of service working for the village, 26 of which he was administrator.

FARMERS MARKET

Trustee Annette Bowden said there are at least 20 interested vendors for the French Market, which opens Saturday, May 14 and replaces last year’s farmers market. “So it’s a far cry better from last year.” She urged local businesses to get involved quickly if they want to; there is a maximum of 29 spots available in total.

*A previous version of the article did not clarify alcohol sales at the concert series.