Village Budget Two-Step

The Reader weighs in on last week's VoC Budget workshop. And, what to expect for Tuesday night's Special Council Meeting.

Karen Gutierrez (L) works with the council during the Thursday, July 24th public budget meeting.

Grappling with an inherited financial mess, the Village Council is working to submit a zero-balance budget for FY25-26.

Because the village does not have a balance sheet it has confidence in at the moment, the state wants the budget to spend no more than the anticipated revenues, which is one of many numbers the village is trying to get a handle on.

According to Mayor Tim King, the interim budget was submitted to the state on time. Our village budget is now open for adjustments, with the final budget due to the state by July 30th.

You Are Here

As of Thursday, July 24th, in the Special Council Meeting, which focused on spending and department head requests, no big-picture numbers were presented, such as projected or past revenues and expenditures.

An additional budget workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, before final approval.

In stark contrast to the 2024 budget session, which ran smoothly despite — or perhaps because of — what we now know were false and incomplete financial reports and unreconciled bank statements, the council is slowly wading through the financial muck.

What The F…inance?

Contracted financial expert with High Water Mark, Karen Gutierrez, promised to give the governing body real numbers for village income and expenses before they vote on the final budget this week.

Trustee Jim Maynard suggested that Gutierrez deliver the numbers with a disclaimer, as the bank statements remain unreconciled, according to Judi Starkovich’s report from the July council meeting.

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We don’t know the expenditures and what the village is bringing in. What else do—or don’t—we know?

• The village doesn’t know how much our water costs to produce. This matters for setting the billing price of water per gallon.

• Our current source of village income, beyond the Gross Receipts Tax, grants, and other funding, is derived from the water bill. Apparently, rates haven’t been adjusted to meet inflation in years, missing an opportunity to raise revenue for the village. Water fees contribute a crucial source of funds for a Village operating budget that runs on roughly $2 million a year.

• Our Level Four Water Operator Scott Powell is retiring soon. He and Public Works Supervisor JJ Carrizal are focusing on training and retaining maintenance and water employees. Carrizal proposed raises for his department to remain competitive in the job market. The Council unanimously commended the maintenance staff for their work.

• New Chief of Police Rolando Hernandez requested to expand the PD to six officers for 24-hour coverage. Hernandez’s own pay rate has not been formally disclosed or confirmed by the council. Historically, with a four-officer staff, the police department reportedly consumed close to half of the entire operating budget for the village.

• Fire and EMS Chief Erich Wuersching delivered a thorough report; the money in and out of his departments appears to be accounted for, and funding comes from grant sources rather than the village. He addressed concerns about village water infrastructure as pertinent to the VFD and fire management.

• While several grants are in progress, it's unclear how many will be secured and if they will cover major capital requests. Grant funds often need to be spent before reimbursement, creating a separate financial challenge.

What to Expect

Tuesday at 6:00 p.m., the council will meet again to discuss the budget further.

Here’s what’s on the agenda:

• Resolution to approve the first round of Lodgers Tax Funds

• Budget requests from the Library and from the Governing Body

• “Additional information on Beginning/Ending Balances/Budget Totals/Department

  Employee Salary Increase Requests/FY2025 Actuals”

Plus, upcoming meetings including another Special Council Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 30th at 6:00 p.m.

The Reader will see you there.

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