Board Meeting: Tax Levy Ready to Pass, Action Pending on EAB Infestation

A public forum for discussion of Western Springs’ 2012 finances left the Village’s budget and levy unchallenged Monday night, giving the Board of Trustees a smooth road towards passage of the budget at their next voting meeting on Dec. 19.

The $6,488,879 levy represents a 3.98 percent increase over the 2011 levy, in accordance with Illinois Department of Revenue tax-increase caps. The levy includes $2,912,254 for the corporate fund (staff salaries, refuse disposal, police and fire, ambulance service, insurance) and $2,449,985 for other property tax-supported funds (police and fire pension, capital improvements, recreation, debt service).

Additionally, the final $1,126,640 of the levy goes to , which, due to a “quirk” in Illinois law, may not directly levy taxes but must petition through the Board.

A supplementary ordinance directs that any discrepancy between funds levied and funds spent be taken from the Village general fund (and nowhere else.)

In other Village business, Trustee Suzanne Glowiak reported that construction on the reverse-osmosis water-treatment plant is scheduled to ramp up over the next two weeks, with the arrival of additional construction equipment. Village water will remain un-softened for about the next year as construction proceeds, a condition of which Glowiak said the Village has received no major complaints.

With regards to the , Glowiak said that the Village will begin to take an inventory of blighted trees and then decide upon a course of action (whether to treat, remove or let the trees die).

“There’s kind of some grim decisions that we’re going to have to make pretty shortly,” said Village President Bill Rodeghier. “We need the facts to intelligently assess the situation and figure out the best course of action. It seems like the proverbial Hobson’s choices here—there aren’t any good ones.”

Only parkway trees (not trees in Village parks or on private lots) will be inspected and/or removed by the Village.

Prior to the meeting, Officer Danielle Stevens was publically recognized as of the Cook County Sherriff’s Award of Merit and the Illinois Crime Prevention Association’s Officer of the Year Award.

WSPD Chief Church was also recognized as the ICPA’s 2011 Chief of the Year.