Tax levy, budget formally approved

DU QUOIN - It took the Du Quoin City Council al of seven minutes Wednesday evening to conduct its business.

In addition to approving a meeting schedule for 2019, the council voted to levy a total of $623,759 in taxes for corporate expenditures for the new fiscal year. That amount is split between the fire and police pension funds.

The council also levied $76,000 in taxes for city library expenditures for 2019.

City Clerk Andrew Croessman said city funds account for about three-fourths of the library's $100,000-plus budget. The remainder of the budget is derived from book fines, computer usage fees, out-of-town fees and private donations.

The council approved an ordinance enacting a budget for 2019 anticipating $9.23 million in revenues versus $8.97 million anticipated in expenses - a $256,700 budget surplus.

"This (surplus) will allow us to build our cash reserves," Croessman said. "If we ever hit a bumpy road, it's good to know that we have a cash reserve to draw from. Like the mayor (Guy Alongi) said previously, we are riding a wave of good fortune."

Croessman said that the city worked at a deficit financially from 2012 through 2014 totaling $748,935.

But from 2015 through 2017, the numbers have all but reversed with the city experiencing a cash surplus of $459,040. And through the first three quarters of this year, there has been an added surplus of over $400,000.

"It's a combination of a bunch of things," Croessman said of the turnaround. "We are very conservative or frugal with the taxpayers' money. And we have figured out our cash flow needs based on anticipated revenues. There have been reduced labor costs and fewer worker compensation claims. We began bidding out for health insurance coverage and we have received more state grants."

Health insurance premiums through Travelers Insurance, he said, have gone down 62 percent.

The council also approved on Wednesday a resolution authorizing the appropriation of $176,579 for maintenance costs of streets and highways for 2019. That is a decrease in expenditure from last year's total of $280,780.