A new fire station, a possible Detroit Avenue expansion, a revamped downtown — they all come at a cost.
With a bleak outlook for the village’s budget situation, the last thing officials should be thinking about is spending, right?
In an ideal world, that is true. But, village officials have proven that, even in a slow economy, work needs to be done.
“We can’t stop planning,” said Morton Mayor Norm Durflinger at Monday night’s village board meeting. “We can’t stop the community from growing.”
A lone mortontimesnews.com comment posted on a story regarding downtown revitalization and business districts reads:
“Is that all the mayor knows how to do? Raise taxes or increase fees? Ever considered cutting back on expenses? Maybe the board should reconsider all the money you’re losing by voting out the gambling machines.”
It’s an obvious dig on the village’s spending habits.
However, it came about two weeks prior to the release of village-employee suggestions to cut costs.
It looks like the village is not only looking to continue spending, but also raise taxes and cut costs at the same time.
If anything, it shows the village is looking to increase revenues and save money.
Monday night, public works director Bob Wraight sought a resolution of support for the village to apply for federal funding to go toward a possible Detroit Avenue expansion.
Planned improvements for the current three-lane arterial road include expanding the street to five lanes to relieve congestion, particularly at the corner of Jackson Street and Detroit Avenue. Planned improvements also include a multi-use pedestrian path on the west side of Detroit Avenue, from Birchwood to Jefferson Street. The project is expected to cost about $4.85 million at current construction costs.
At that price, paying for such a project with the village’s current budget situation seems unfathomable. However, what makes the project attractive to village officials now is the potential to receive up to 70 percent in federal funding.
Though there is no loan, it is very similar to why the village decided to move forward on the new fire department headquarters on Courtland Ave. Materials and labor are cheap right now. They are expected to increase in cost as the economy improves.
The village was able to secure a loan and begin construction on the firehouse at today’s current costs, which Durflinger maintains will save a lot of money in the future.
