Flossmoor may need to look at cutting back on services and staff in the next few years to address budget shortages due to pension obligations and shrinking revenue.
“We won’t need to do so with the 2011 budget, but after that it’s anyone’s guess depending on what happens on the revenue side and what happens in Springfield,” Mayor Paul Braun said after Monday night’s village board meeting, where the village’s preliminary budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year was discussed.
Braun said he was referring to the Legislature dealing with the hot-button issue of pension reform.
“Pensions account for about 20 percent of our (property) tax levy right now,” the mayor said after the meeting.
He’s also concerned about legislators possibly doing away with the 1 percentage point of the sales tax that now goes to municipalities.
“That would be a big hit on our revenue,” Braun said.
For now, Flossmoor is deferring nearly all capital projects for fiscal year 2010-11, which starts May 1.
Village manager Bridget Wachtel said engineering for a downtown streetlights project and planning for a downtown streetscape improvement program are on hold to save about $60,000.
“All that’s in the fiscal year 2011 budget’s hopper is leftover projects from fiscal year 2010,” Wachtel said.
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