As 2014 winds down, so do expenses in the village streets budget

By Dave Fidlin

Correspondent

The winter weather wallop that hit the area last month also whacked the Village of Waterford’s 2014 public works budget, according to the head of the department.

Jeff Dolezal, public works director, discussed the state of funding operations within the public works department, particularly in the area of streets. At a Village Board meeting held Dec. 8, Dolezal said expenses linked to road upkeep were about $5,500 in the red.

Dolezal said two factors worked against the municipal budget early in the year: extremely frigid temperatures and the wear and tear on municipal vehicles.

While vehicle maintenance typically is built into the village’s operating budget each year, Dolezal said a greater degree than normal was necessary in 2014.

“Mother Nature has not been very cooperative with us,” Dolezal commented at the board meeting.

Dolezal came before the board to discuss how the shortfall could be filled. Previously, the village’s Finance Committee recommended dipping into reserve dollars to shore up the deficit.

As the countdown toward 2015 has progressively inched closer with much less messy weather than in November, Dolezal said he has been cautiously optimistic the deficit will not grow much larger. While a number of variables could be at play, he suggested the deficit should not swell beyond $10,000.

“But it’s a tough number to stick to the wall at this point,” he said. “It all depends on Mother Nature, really. We’re operating as lean as possible for the rest of this month.”

Trustee Don Houston suggested the board make a motion to put some parameters around the spending request. But a majority of the board opted to take a wait-and-see approach as 2014 winds down.

Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald suggested the board address the issue in greater detail in February after the last of the 2014 invoices have trickled in.