Village Board presented with requests from Committee Members

By Chris Johnson

Reporter

PECATONICA – When an issue of spending presents itself, in accordance with Village Ordinance and State Statute, discussion incorporates the question of cost and how the action would be funded. A budget must be presented and eventually, permission to spend.

Determining which line item the expense is to be drawn is typically established during the Village Budget construction process. At times, projects or issues arise that would not have appeared in a previous year’s budget.

Within the responsibilities of a Village’s Finance Committee, decisions must be made and Departments selected for the distribution of funds for functional operation.

The recommendations from the Finance Committee are then either approved or refused by Village Trustees, acting in the capacity of Village Leader at a Municipal Board Meeting.

Each year, municipalities receive a specific amount of money to work with; recently, that has meant less for the Village of Pecatonica.

Working with the fiscal year 2015-2016 Administration Budget, Village President Dan Barber presented information showing a drop-off in expected opportunity.

“We have known for a while we were going to have less to work with. There is less coming in.”

The fiscal year 2014-2015 Administration Budget allowed for the capacity to spend up to $219,775.00; this year that has dropped to $194,718.00.

The situation is similar for other Departments, including Public Works and Public Safety, with the Police Department’s fiscal year 2014-2015 Budget showing an amount of $284,400.70, dropping to $185,354.38 for fiscal year 2015-2016.

A recent decision by the Pecatonica Committee of the Whole regarding spraying for mosquitoes, allowed for the action to occur with instruction provided for determination of how it would be paid.

Documents show each Department working with less money this fiscal year and even a $1,000 payment has to be made by someone, according to Barber.

“It’s fine, we decided we were going to spray for mosquitoes. After we talked about it we decided, in Committee, to get it done. It has to be paid for and it is the Committee’s responsibility to find space in the budget.”

Each department reportedly will be working with less in their budgets this year; figuring out how to pay for an approximate $1,000 spraying can be important.

It was proposed by Committee Member Bill Smull that the payment be submitted to the Economic Development Committee for consideration.

Smull explained the benefit to the Village and its residents, thus indicating a proper use of Economic Development Funds; with fewer pests, more people could be out walking the Prairie Path or visiting a local business.

The issue was also discussed as possible Public Works, since it is a public problem.

The Pecatonica Village Board met on Tuesday, July 21.

Details on this past meeting will be available in next week’s edition of the Gazette newspaper.