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 State
law mandates that the Village adopt a budget for each fiscal year
beginning October 1.
While few people beyond the Village administration and
council members prepare and review the budget, it does provide a
remarkable road map of the proposed expenditures for next year and the
future proposed projects that the Village plans to undertake during
the next few years. The budget illustrates what policy decisions have
been made by elected officials in terms of the financial priorities
that have been placed on services to be rendered to our residents and
capital projects to be undertaken.
There are no real "blues" associated with
our budget because the Village has a very healthy tax and revenue base
to allow substantial capital projects to be undertaken. Imperfectly or
not, substantial services are also being rendered. The only
"blues" relate to the men and women in blue, our police
department, for which more than 52 percent of the new fiscal year's
budget is allocated, as it should be. As I had urged all along,
increased staffing of police officers has been necessary and more
detectives are being allocated to deal with property related crimes.
I believe the final budget must show a continued
commitment on the part of the Village Council and our residents to
create and maintain a superior work environment so that excellent
police services can be rendered. This was a primary reason for
becoming a municipality. We have had our share of problems in the
police department and additional improvement is required. We need to
put our money where our mouth is and we need to help direct the police
chief and Village manager with regard to public safety, policing
priorities and morale.
As to the "grays" in the budget, I am
referencing some of the unspoken policy decisions that show up mostly
in the capital improvement aspect of the budget.
For example, $2 million is allocated to the Parrot
Jungle acquisition, but not until the fiscal year 2001-2002. This
means a commitment has been made by the Village to acquire Parrot
Jungle, but it isn't going to occur for some time, until State funding
can be obtained to match county park bond funds. Use issues for Parrot
Jungle have not been resolved or determined.
At the same time, $1 million was put in the
preliminary budget for plans and engineering for county water lines.
No policy decision was made on this and yet it found its way into the
initial budget.
Another $3.6 million has been allocated to construct
the Village hall. We have yet to resolve the site for this project --
as between 104th Street and Wayside Park on U.S. 1 -- but we are
committed to build a Village hall to adequately house the Village
administration. The "gray" area is where will it be located.
And, $250,000 continues to be budgeted each year for
the next five years for trees.
Pinecrest Park on 124th Street should be finished this
year and almost $1.5 million is allocated for work on Suniland Park, a
proposed linear park along Red Road and some money that may be spent
on the "swap" park consisting of the two acres on 104th
Street, which was already purchased for a Village Hall site. It's
intended use remains unidentified. There will be more road
resurfacing, curbs and sidewalks.
For those of you who may have wanted a municipal
swimming pool, streetlights or underground phone lines, forget it
unless you undertake a major political initiative. These have not been
projected as future capital improvement expenditures.
In essence, next year we will have more police, parks,
trees, sidewalks and someplace there will be a new Village Hall.
I have only touched the surface of the proposed budget
for the next fiscal year. There are all kinds of interesting details
that disclose the business of the Village, where the money comes from
and where it goes, as well as the policy decisions that have been made
with regard to such expenditures.
Budget meetings are open to the public. If you have
general or specific comments concerning the proposed budget, then
please express them to the Village Council. Fax your comments to the
Village Clerk at 305-234-2131. Otherwise, the Village Council will act
based upon what we each hear from individuals in the Village and,
hopefully, based upon our own common sense. I am a big believer in the
common sense of our residents, so please don't underestimate the value
of your input.
You may contact Councilman Blaxberg by telephone at
305-381-7979, ext. 309, or by sending email to blaxberg@blaxgray.com.
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