Politics & Government

Ash Tree Removal Will Set Flossmoor Back $272,000 in FY2014

The Flossmoor Village Board approved the village's Fiscal Year 2014 budget at its April 15 meeting. The budget for the village shows a more than $3 million deficit for the village during the current fiscal year.

The Village of Flossmoor will remain operating in the red for FY2014—but it's still in sound financial shape, staff members say.

“Overall, the Village of Flossmoor is in good fiscal health,” said Village Manager Bridget Watchel in a memo to the board. “In an environment in which many private businesses and public agencies are cutting services, we are proud to report that we continue to sustain all current service levels, which has been a main objective of the village board.”

Expenditures outpacing revenues for the village was somewhat expected, the memo said, as planned capital projects, projects from the previous fiscal year and two additional funding requests pushed expenditures past revenues. The budget covers all of the village's expenditures and revenues from May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014.

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One of the projects that will have an impact on the budget is the removal of Ash trees, a budgetary item that has doubled in recent years.

“The budgetary impact of the Ash tree removal is approximately $272,000 in FY14,” the memo states. “Without this additional expenditure, the General Fund operating budget would show a small surplus.”

Find out what's happening in Homewood-Flossmoorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To help offset some of the major spending the village must do, staff is actively working at securing grants to ease the financial burden on the village.

“The use of grant funding will offset Village revenues which can be diverted to support daily operations or be set aside for rainy days or emergencies,” the memo states.


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