No Tax, Fee Increases in Palatine Budget

The Village of Palatine has proposed a 2013 budget with no new fees, taxes or charges for residents, due to a concerted effort by village administration to hold the line on increases. 

According to Deputy Village Manager Mike Jacobs, there actually is a slight reduction in the overall budget, while the headcount for village employees remains the same this year compared to last. 

Over the last four years, Jacobs said, more than 20 positions were eliminated from the village payroll. 

"The [administration] department continues to look at ways to reduce costs, and the economy is showing signs of improvement, which is helping," Jacobs said. 

The effort to reduce costs includes no newly introduced programs or projects, maintaining health insurance costs for employees, and even doing things more electronically, Jacobs said. 

Jacobs said the village has worked diliegently to provide core services residents have come to expect over the last several years. 

"The challenge is, we can control our costs, but pensions over the last 10 years have gone up 200-percent. Those are under the state's control, and they tell us what we need to pay," Jacobs said. 

He adds that because those pension contributions required by municipalities continue to rise, the village is hopeful adjustments will be made. 

A budget study session for the village council was held on Saturday, October 27 to allow the council to ask questions and get a solid idea of how the budget has been developed. 

The official public hearing on the proposed 2013 budget will be held on Monday, December 3, and Jacobs said adoption of the budget is expected to happen at the Monday, December 10 meeting. 

Throughout meetings in November, village administration will be reporting to the council to work towards approval. 

To look at the entire proposed village budget, visit the Village of Palatine website. Residents can view separate parts of the budget, including the budget message, capital programs, revenues and a budget overview, in addition to all village departments.