With fiscal threats looming on the horizon, Niles village trustees outlined a range of possible measures to bring new revenue into village coffers, including increasing ambulance fees, selling ad space on bus shelters and benches, a leaf bagging program and red light cameras.
The substantial list of both cost saving and money making suggestions were presented to the board by trustees Denise McCreery and Dean Strzelecki, the two members of Mayor Andrew Przybylo’s Ad Hoc Committee for Economic Enhancement, at a recent meeting. A memo to the mayor and the board cited the potential loss of about $750,000 in local government distributive funds — income tax disbursed by the state to local municipalities every year — and the loss of between $200,000 and $250,000 in annual tax revenue from the now shuttered off track betting establishment in Niles, in addition to massive spending on stormwater improvements in the village that has left fewer dollars leftover for pension contributions.
The village has already implemented a number of cost controls and revenue enhancements, according to the memo, including taking advantage of an American Express corporate rewards program which has earned the village over $100,000 in revenue, pursuing private partnerships to support the village’s food pantry and Family Services operations and increasing the use of volunteers, among other measures.
Some of the suggested strategies to increase savings and revenue are more likely to be implemented than others, said Village Manager Steve Vinezeano in an interview following the meeting. For example, it’s unlikely the village will establish a red light camera program—which is estimated to bring in over $150,000 per year—any time in the near future because there are several bills that would either eliminate the use of red light cameras or enhance their use awaiting legislative action in Springfield, he said.
Additionally, a proposed leaf bagging program, which could save the village over $100,000 annually, would likely be a tough sell, Vinezeano said. Instead of sweeping leaves to the curb as is currently done, residents would be required to bag their leaves under the proposed program, McCreery explained.
The program “does have many benefits, especially for communities like ours that focus so many resources on flood control and sewer health,” she said. Vinezeano said the proposed program will likely generate pushback from seniors in the community who may have difficulty bagging up their leaves.
Measures that are more likely to become a reality include an ambulance fee adjustment which is expected to increase revenue by $70,000 per year, he said. Strzelecki said all six towns the village has mutual aid agreements with are on board with the adjustment.
An amusement tax for purchases at movie theaters, bowling alleys and billiard rooms is also a likely possibility, Vinezeano said. According to the memo sent to council, the tax could bring in an additional $30,000 in annual revenue. Vinezeano said it’s unlikely the tax will extend to cable subscriptions. He said selling ads on bus shelters and benches—a strategy expected to generate about $3,000 per year—will most likely receive board approval.
“A lot of these (measures) are pretty harmless,” he said.
The suggested cost savings and revenue building strategies will be hashed out in village committees and a portion of them will likely return for village approval sometime in the coming months, Vinezeano said.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.