Budget crunch has village prioritizing expenses
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
As budgetary constraints and anticipated shortfalls remain an ongoing issue of concern in the years ahead, officials in the Village of Waterford are re-examining a list of expenses for this year and beyond.
The Village Board and Finance Committee held a joint meeting Tuesday and combed through expenses in the fire, public works and administrative departments. The two bodies spent more than an hour going line item-by-line item over expenses that originally were earmarked for this year or next year.
In some instances, the capital spending requests were forwarded to 2018 or beyond. Village staffers, in addition to board and committee members, looked into which items were deemed necessities and which fell into the “wants” category.
“I don’t think, as I look at any of the items on this list, I would say, ‘Yeah, these would be cool,’” Village Treasurer Lori Peternell said. “But it’s a question of whether we fund these this year, in 2017, 2018 or another year.”
One of the village’s most significant big-ticket items – purchasing new fire engines – has been reallocated to 2017. Fire Chief Rick Mueller said he will continue to explore pricing options for the vehicles.
In some instances, officials looked at external factors and how they play into decision-making. Case in point: Jeff Dolezal, public works director, has placed street sign replacements in his department budget this year and each of the upcoming years.
Dolezal said the village is under the gun to meet a Federal Highway Administration mandate. The agency is requiring municipalities switch out existing street signs so they are retro reflective — terminology meaning they can easily be seen at night.
Technology was an issue that cropped up frequently in this week’s discussion. Officials considered new scanning equipment for the fire department a high priority since crewmembers use about $100 per month in ink cartridges to print reports and other documents.
A consensus also was reached to postpone a few electronics purchases until next year so all computers, laptops and other devices were on the same cycle and all operated with identical software packages.
Although time was not necessarily of the essence, the board and committee gave a strong backing to the planned installation of video surveillance equipment at Fire Station No. 2, though elected officials encouraged staffers to look into whittling down the projected $16,000 price tag.
Surrendered drugs and valuable equipment are stored at the station, and a large number of people enter and exit the facility daily.
Speaking to the issue of drug theft, Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald said, “I want to recognize that this is an issue in other communities. I want us to come into this with our eyes wide open.”
Plans call for Peternell and Ewald to input the reprioritized list of spending requests and report back to both bodies with more specific financial details at 5:30 p.m. July 25.
At that meeting, details of how the reconfigured list impacts this year’s budget will be revealed. The new information also will be the first in a series of stepping-stones toward unveiling a draft 2017 municipal operating budget.
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