The first quarter financials for the Village are showing some promise, not a lot, but some. Tax revenue collection is ahead of projection, new projects are bringing in new money, and except for the Police Department overtime, NBV is in a better financial position than midyear last year.
In November, our taxes went up 15% on property and 16% on utilities to fund our reserve accounts and to maintain services. The commission vowed to break the bad habit of coming up with random spending projects throughout the year and to maintain the discipline of not spending until it was budgeted. Our villager manager committed to blocking new spending without compelling reason.
Sounded good. So what's the first thing the village manager proposed and the commission passed as soon as they saw a few extra bucks? Was it:
A.) Put the money in the reserve account and keep it there until they see how the year is going to end?
B.) Finally renegotiate the police contract which would have the added benefit of improving morale and reducing all the sick time?
C.) Restore the community services for kids that they claim the village can't afford?
D.) Decide to spend it on renting an unbudgeted new commission chamber so they are not slightly inconvenienced on those once a month Tuesdays when they show up?
You know it was (D)! That's right. It seems the most important issue facing the Village is the lack of a really comfortable commission chambers and that the commissioners' offices are crowded.
Man, I got about seven more pages I could write but what else is there to say? Clearly Mayor Kreps and the village manager have decided to spend the last 8 months of her administration spending our money frivolously.
Kevin Vericker
February 15, 2013
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