When asked about the impact that the cut will have on police coverage or personnel, the mayor said he had spoken with police officials and all agreed that “the current coverage scheme can still happen. They just have to be far more cognizant of overtime and in-house shifts that are not street-time shifts.”
“[Our police] can’t be everything to everyone, and we will continue to rely on our partners in our sheriff’s office and state police,” Blundell added.
He said the village is also facing an increase of more than $25,000 in state-mandated pension contributions as decided by the state comptroller. That total alone translates to nearly 2.5 percent of the tax levy increase. The required contributions are determined by salary levels, particularly the police salaries.
“This would fall under those unfunded mandates we hear so much about,” he said.
Compounding the problems is the lack of any fund balance at the village, the money the village would rely on in cases of unexpected expenses. “I would say we have a negative fund balance — it had been completely drained [before 2011]. We absolutely need to restore it [by running a surplus],” said Blundell. Not having a fund balance leaves the village with no buffer in case of emergencies. The village will not know its 2012 fund balance until later this year.
“We’re working really hard at cleaning up the budget process,” Blundell said. In prior years, there was a focus on the big number and money was shifted where it was needed. “What we’re saying now is that a budget line is a budget line and it must be held to…. The first year was a little rough in that regard, watching the budget and making sure it is held to and making everyone realize it’s a real thing – it’s not just a theory.”
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