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Politics & Government

Glencoe Board Approves Tax Levy

Trustees unanimously vote to accept a total 4.03 percent decrease from the 2010 property tax extension.

Glencoe Village Trustees unanimously approved a new tax levy in a quiet meeting Thursday.

The levy up for consideration came to a total of $8,549,168 (without taking into account the fire pensions or the debt service). That would have been a 2.43 percent increase from 2010's property tax extension. 

Earlier

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However, taking into account the library levy and the fact that the city retired some debt over the past year, the total village levy actually comes to a 4.03 percent decrease from 2010.

Trustees also heard a recommendation on the upcoming budget that included:

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  • Increasing the general fund's minimum balance target from $1 million to $1.4 million
  • Increasing the amount of money transferred from the general fund to the garbage fund from $350,000 to $450,000
  • Creating a separate line item for information technology items, which were previously designated more vaguely as operational expenses

However, instead of approving all of the recommendations outright, trustees asked for more information at the next meeting.

"A $400,000 increase in the general fund is a pretty big jump," said President Scott Feldman. "I wonder whether we should go for that in one year."

They also revealed some of their individual philosophies on government:

"It makes sense to me to increase it and have funds available in case of harder times," said Trustee Larry Levin. "If you look at our budgets, the state of Illinois keeps undercutting us. We want to be careful. We have no idea what's going to happen with the state given their current fiscal irresponsibility."

Feldman agreed, but qualified his opinion.

"I don't like to see local governments sitting on big chunks of money and not spending it," he said to Levin. "To me, that's just taxing people needlessly. But I think what you're talking about makes some sense."

In other news, the Village Administrator Paul Harlow said the Public Safety Department enrolled in a U.S. Military Surplus Property Disposal program, through which it received a new EKG monitor and two defibrillators — more than $69,000 worth of equipment — for only several hundred dollars.

Harlow also reported that work on the cupola above Village Hall has been completed. The renovations included both structural and cosmetic work, as well as new clock faces.

"This is really the village logo," Harlow said. "This wasn't just going up and replacing wood with wood. This is a custom PVC polymer material that will have a much longer life."

A calendar note: Village Hall will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, and garbage will accordingly be bumped to the following days.

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