On Monday Burr Ridge residents — as well the board of trustees — got their first look at the village’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.
The budget is bigger than the current fiscal year’s budget — and with more projected revenue — and it would add two new positions including a new police officer position.
The next hearing — wherein the community can comment — will be at the next meeting March 28. This will be the public’s last chance to comment on the proposed budget, which is available online. The budget is set to be approved in April.
The 2023 budget is healthy, Village Administrator Evan Walter explained.
“Overall, we’re in very good shape considering the last two years of COVID-19,” Walter said. Partly this is due to the fact that the village had a tent program for restaurants from the early days of COVID-19, allowing diners to eat outside and thereby allowing restaurants to continue to operate an earn money.
Walter said the fund balance was in good shape and no ongoing programs rely on grants, a position few cities want to be in as it puts those programs in jeopardy should the grant run out.
Finally, while the budget does show debt, Walter said that’s based on past debt, which has since been paid off.
“We have no debt going forward,” he told the board.
According to projections, the village expects to bring in some $22,178,367 in revenue and the budget is expecting $21,877,314 in expenses, while keeping a fund balance of 20 % of ongoing operating expenses and while funding the police pension in line with state legal requirements. In total the village expects to add about half a million dollars in revenue.
The biggest new items in the budget are two new positions, a parks department employee and a deputy chief’s position.
Trustee Russ Smith, longtime proponent of increasing funding the police pension, said he’d like the village to allocate for funding for that.
“Here’s my concern,” Smith said. “We only give the Illinois statutory minimum on the pension and . . . in that report it talks about the payment to that pension will increase 35 to 40 %. If we maintain the threshold this document is suggesting, we will be in trouble.”
Smith suggested a separate meeting workshop to tackle the issue and see how to better fund the pensions.
“This budget is about this year and should we look three years, four years and five years down the line,” he asked.
Mayor Gary Grasso pointed out that since he’s been mayor the village hasn’t had any trouble meeting state requirements and he pointed out there is discussion in the financial department about the matter and suggested that’s the best place for those discussions to stay.
“I think those have been discussed and they will be discussed and they’re not off the table necessarily, but they’re not for discussion here, necessarily,” he said.
Later, Smith repeated his concerns and told Chief John Madden he didn’t think the police should add another pension position. He said he supported hiring a civilian instead as that person wouldn’t be eligible for a pension.
Madden pushed back. He said the village used to have a deputy chief — and he had been that person — and he planned to promote from within, meaning he’d hire an entry-level officer.
“I know the work, we know the work,” he chief said. “My goal, over the past 12 years is keeping the costs down, and that’s why I have not approached the board in 12 plus years asking for any increases. … My goal was to not increase the budget.”
However, he added, saving money is costing the police department.
“It starts working against us,” he said. “It starts working against the police department. I’m not doing my job unless it’s in the best interest of the citizens and the police department.”
He added he wouldn’t want to hire a civilian and pay them to do the job of a police officer.
However, other members of the board said they liked the budget and seemed supportive of the new police position.
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.