Machesney Park’s new budget touches many lives

By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

MACHESNEY PARK – It has been said that most people around here are happy if their garbage is picked up on time and snow is cleared from their streets in a timely manner.

The village is responsible for plowing residential streets with a private vendor collecting the garbage. But the village’s annual budget, this year surpassing the $8-million mark because of additional street improvements, touches most every life among the 25,500 who call this place home.

Snow removal is important, especially for those who work and want to get out of their subdivisions to main roads, which typically get more immediate attention.

But the interior roads themselves sometimes can resemble a minefield, with chuck holes of all sizes and shapes. That’s where the village’s Build Machesney comes in.

That road improvements program started in 2008 and resulted in about 36 miles of roadway being rebuilt or resurfaced. Voters in 2012 approved extending the penny sales tax increase until 2019, with many more miles of roads scheduled to be improved in that time.

The program itself has been accelerated through a $3.5-million loan, in an effort to get a lot of work done ahead of expected cost increases now that the economy is improving. That loan also is the reason why the 2015-16 budget has jumped well over the usual $4-million range.

Public Works Superintendent Chad Hunter has budgeted $500,000 for snow removal during the winter of 2015-16. “That covers an average year, with 17 snow events,” he said.

Some 3,000 tons of salt will be ordered, the same as this year.

Nuisance animals

There are many, lesser expenses in the budget that affect the quality of life in the village.

What about animal control? Residents expect response when they call about animals running amok in their yards or neighborhoods.

Machesney Park contracts with Winnebago County for that service and Mayor Jerry Bolin said there could be a 10 percent increase in that cost this year. The village is budgeting for a 5 percent increase.

While most are fortunate enough to have one or more vehicles to get them to and from work and other destinations, some must rely on public transportation.

The village thinks of them by allocating $176,400 to continue fixed route and paratransit service for another year.

The public works budget has $52,000 for new traffic signals; $47,000 for mowing rights-of-way, partly to maintain visibility for those driving around town; $24,200 for three mosquito sprayings, which allow residents to enjoy their back yards during the summer months; and $25,000 for the removal of diseased ash trees and others considered to be hazardous to people.

Many residents use Dennis Johnson Park, off Delta Drive, whose ownership is shared by the village and Harlem Township. The village is responsible for the popular path and this year has set aside $15,000 for maintenance, including $5,000 for new path lighting.

This is the final year of the Illinois 173 widening project, with work moving east to just shy of the entrance to Rock Cut State Park. But orange barrels will continue to be in evidence west of Forest Hills Road, impacting businesses – and shoppers – along that part of the corridor.

The village’s community development budget has $15,000 for Shop Machesney promotions to help businesses as well as local and regional shoppers.

Machesney Park Village Board members are due to approve the 2015-16 budget, on second reading, at their April 20 meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. The new spending plan goes into effect May 1.