To The Editor:

I am happy to report that on Monday, April 23, our Village Board adopted the 2018-19 budget. I would like to thank Village Manager Janine King, Village Treasurer Sandra Bullock, the department heads and my colleagues on the Board of Trustees for collaborating on a smart budget for FY 2018-19.

The Village faced several challenges in this budget cycle: increasing health insurance costs, greater pension contributions, and finalizing a contract with our largest municipal unit (and closing a contract that had expired back in 2016). But we were able to deliver a budget with a modest 0.47% increase (well below the 2% cap, saving taxpayers almost $200,000). We also limited growth in total Village government appropriations to below the rate of inflation.

Our 2018-19 budget achieved all of this without any reduction in the services our community relies on and expects from our Village government. The range and quality of these services (e.g., building permits, courts, code enforcement, emergency medical services, fire, parks, police, roads, recycling, senior programs, sewers, snow removal, trash disposal, water and zoning) are an integral part of the high quality of life we enjoy in this community.

To maintain this balance between taxes and services we must be proactive and budget strategically. As a Board, we will continue to work with the Village staff and the larger community to control costs while preserving the amenities and quality of life that we all cherish.

Sincerely,

Brian Pugh