Des Plaines aldermen had hoped to cut up to $400,000 from the city`s 1992 budget. But after four long sessions and nearing the end of the process, they are finding that only $45,020 has been trimmed.
City Comptroller Greg Peters said that the lack of cuts will mean the city will have to dip into its fund balance.
City administrators had proposed a levy increase of about 3.9 percent, but aldermen voted against it. To make up the difference, the council approved a plan that would use the fund balance. But they had hoped to make enough cuts so they would not have to.
Two more budget sessions are scheduled in February, but they are set only to review and to discuss a remaining $1.2 million of the $23 million general fund budget.
Mayor Michael Albrecht said trying to cut too deeply into the city`s budget might cause damage in the long run.
”The problem with a lot of the cuts is it`s not cutting the infamous fat. Some of these expenses, like buying new equipment, aren`t just going to go away forever,” he said.
Several new projects for the city were put off to hold down costs.
One of the few innovations not to get the ax was a $50,000 plan to study downtown development. The plan will look at landscaping and try to determine the kinds of businesses and residential developments needed to make the area successful.
In other cuts, aldermen have waged numerous battles in the last year over outside legal fees but decided not to hire a full-time assistant city attorney.
Hiring an assistant city attorney was projected to cost $48,000 to $50,000, including benefits. Aldermen decided instead to raise the budget for outside legal fees by $100,000.
The city also cut about $25,000 by halving its contribution to the Suburban O`Hare Commission, a consortium of communities fighting jet noise at the airport.
And the purchase of hand-held computers that would print out parking tickets as well as read water meters were cut out of the budget at a savings of $40,000. The city will consider leasing the machines on a trial basis.
