Politics & Government
Burr Ridge Approves FY 2011-2012 Budget
The Village of Burr Ridge unanimously approved a balanced budget on Monday night, although it did hear some criticism from a former Village Trustee.
The Burr Ridge Village Board approved the Fiscal Year 2011-12 budget in the amount of $16,163,700 Monday night after a lengthy on March 14. This year's budget is about 5 percent less than the FY 2010-11 budget of $16,997,445. View a PDF of the proposed budget in the photo section to the right.
Village trustees approved the budget discussed at the workshop with some minor changes following a public hearing in which they were presented with a list of issues from a former village trustee. The budget discussed at the workshop was slightly larger at $16,188,245.
Dolores A. Cizek, who was a board member for 14 years, criticized the board on 11 specific issues, most notably transfers from the pathways fund to the general fund, the cost of the new police station, marketing costs for the Village Center and the proposed improvements to the.
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“The Village has built a huge police station, over 19,000 square feet, with no basement or second floor which it can't pay for nor maintain,” said Cizek during public comment.
“How can this $8 million station, including land acquisition, be justified when the Village has only 27 sworn officers; of which only 18 are patrol officers. Which is more important for adequate law enforcement - an unnecessary police edifice or an adequate number of sworn officers?”
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The new police facility was completed in September 2010 and final costs came in at more than $6 million, which was under budget.
Cizek also said she felt the Village was acting as “a business arm” for the Village Center and said she did not feel that money should be spent to beautify a highway overpass.
Mayor Gary Grasso did not directly address any of Cizek comments, although at the end of board meeting he did say that “the welfare of the Village Center and County Line Square are a top priority of the village trustees and will always be a top priority of the community and we want the village to always support them, and that's the reason we supported it and I don't remember any village staff member, trustee or president saying anything to the contrary.”
