A $24 million budget for fiscal year 1990-91 has been adopted by the Glendale Heights Village Board without most of the wish-list items originally proposed by staff and officials.
Plans for the improvement of two parks were drastically curtailed, and Police Chief James Carroll`s request for an additional investigative officer was denied. The board approved the budget last week.
The 5 percent utility tax will be retained, despite pressure from residents and some village trustees to reduce the rate. But President Michael Camera said that although the village needed the estimated $1.1 million revenue from the utility tax this year, he hoped that sales tax revenue would rise sufficiently so the utility tax could be ”decreased” next year.
Camera said a car dealership has moved to Glendale Heights and a new gas station with a car wash and mini-mart will be built in the village and that both will produce additional sales tax revenues.
The budget is about $1 million higher than the one for the fiscal year that ended April 30, said finance director Marge Peterson. Camera said it contains no new capital items.
Trustee Geri O`Brien (1st) voted against adopting the budget and appropriation ordinances, both of which were approved on 4-1 votes. She said later that her opposition stemmed from the fact that though the budget provides for a 4.3 percent salary increase across the board for village employees, no increase is included for police.
Camera said O`Brien`s opposition to adopting the budget and appropriation ordinances was misguided.
”You do not hold the entire village hostage and not approve the budget because of that (lack of agreement over police raises),” he said.
O`Brien said, ”This town is guarded and our lives guarded by the police, and we still have not sat down with them on salaries.”
A 4.3 percent raise would bring the salary of Village Administrator James J. Kilcourse to $62,848, up $2,591. The calculation is based on an hourly pay rate for Kilcourse obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act that the village said was $28.97 for fiscal 1989-90. The village said it has no listing of annual salaries.
