Excerpts from ChicagoTribune.com:
As the state of Illinois struggles with its first complex budget under Governor Bruce Rauner, the village of Libertyville has been caught in a financial limbo. In April, local trustees decided to delay several key financial decisions, hoping for clarity from Springfield. Six months later, they're still uncertain about how the state will handle its finances, but have finally taken action on some pressing needs.
Among the postponed decisions were hiring a new deputy fire chief, expanding the salt storage silo, funding a downtown building survey for the historic preservation commission, and reducing the electric utility tax. At the time, Rauner had proposed freezing property taxes for two years and keeping half of the municipal income tax permanently. Finance Director Patricia Wesolowski estimated that the loss of income tax would amount to $1 million annually, with an additional $600,000 in lost property tax increases over two years.
Though those proposals didn’t gain much momentum, a new challenge has emerged. As of November 10, Illinois is withholding approximately $660,000 in various taxes. This includes $440,000 in 911 fees, $150,000 in gasoline sales tax, and $70,000 in use tax—collected on items like cars purchased out of state but used within Illinois.
The state was supposed to finalize its budget by July 1, but Governor Rauner has refused to sign any unbalanced budget, and negotiations have stalled. As a result, Illinois has stopped paying many of its bills and has halted the redistribution of tax money it collects on behalf of local governments.
In February, Libertyville signed a two-year contract to provide fire services to the unincorporated area of Knollwood, located just east of Interstate 94 along Route 176. The village's fire department had eliminated the deputy chief position a few years ago after a retirement. Filling the role would cost around $150,000 in salary and benefits, with the individual handling duties for both Knollwood and Libertyville.
The contract requires $100,000 in annual payments, meaning Libertyville would pay $50,000. It assumed 100 calls per year, but Fire Chief Rich Carani reported 102 calls between February and early November.
Despite ongoing concerns about how much revenue will actually arrive from Springfield, the trustees agreed to fill the position. “Chief Carani is stretched pretty thin, and that’s not healthy for an organization,†said Village Trustee Todd Gaines.
Since 2009, Libertyville has built up a reserve fund of $4.2 million through new taxes and returns on sales tax revenue—well above the recommended level for emergency savings. In April, trustees considered using part of this reserve to pay off construction debt early and allocate another portion toward underfunded police and fire pensions, which have been strained by recent changes in benefits and longer life expectancies for retirees.
That decision was also postponed, and on November 10, trustees chose to wait even longer, fearing that the funds might be needed to cover potential withholdings or indefinite delays in tax redistribution from the state.
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