Trending
POLAND TOWNSHIP -- Trustees at a special meeting Tuesday cut the township's seasonal employees and canceled the Walnut Grove stormwater project after learning there will be a $1,678 budget shortfall by the end of the year.
Trustees also are considering putting a police levy on the November ballot, but they need to move quickly because the deadline to get issues on the ballot is Aug. 5.
"The $1,678 is hypothetical if we keep going the way we are going," said Poland Fiscal Officer Paul Canter. "Right now, we will have a negative $2,000 balance at the end of the year. This is a conversation that was going to happen now or later. We have to make cuts."
"We stopped the seasonal workers," Trustee Eric Ungaro said. "And we stopped the Walnut Grove project since it had not started yet."
Ungaro said cutting those two items helped, but would not solve the projected deficit. One additional item on the table is the Poland Township Police Department's new Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicle was received, but no decals or equipment have been installed on it yet. The vehicle cost $75,000 and could easily be sold for nearly that amount, Ungaro said.
"That price covers one payroll," he said.
He said some tough choices will have to be made after all things have been considered.
"I've been here 15 years and have worked with five different trustees, two different fiscal officers and two different administrators. All of us were a team that tried to do whatever we could without raising taxes, and to give Poland Township the best services on the planet," Ungaro said.
Trustee Ed Kempers said a police levy from 30 years ago had been deemed unconstitutional because of a technicality. With new state regulations for ballot issues, the township took the levy and combined it with another levy to offer one new levy to bring in the same amount.
The levy was set at 0.73 mills and was not new money. It failed in November 2023, but voters approved it in March 2024. That levy and the township's general fund covers the costs for the police department.
Trustees looked at various increases in the township budget, such as insurance increases, daily costs of operations, and losses from the recent passage of the additional Homestead Act property tax relief the county commissioners approved earlier this summer.
Kempers said he has noticed the carryover balances have been shrinking over the years.
Ungaro, Kempers and trustee Frank DeMain -- who was there via a Zoom connection because he is out of town -- discussed the many details of the budget. The decision was made to schedule a follow-up meeting next week when DeMain is back in town to decide on selling the Tahoe, and on placing a police levy on the ballot.
Kempers said a police levy would need to be set at 2.9 mills. Canter said he would prefer 3 mills, but was alright with 2.9.
"It's pretty simple. So much money comes in, and so much money goes out. The last thing I want to have to do is lay off an employee," DeMain said.
"We are going to meet next week and come up with a game plan," Ungaro said.