Yorkville Building Reserves in General Fund

City Administrator Bart Olson reviewed finances during annual audit presentation Tuesday.

Yorkville Poised to Extend $10,000 New Home Incentive

The city had issued 24 of the initial 30 building permits as of early this week.

Aldermen Approve Yorkville Budget

The spending plan passed, 6-2, Tuesday.

Yorkville aldermen approved a city budget Tuesday that starts to rebuild savings, gives staff 2 percent raises and provides for elected officials health insurance. The budget for the fiscal year beginning May 1 was approved, 6-2, Tuesday with Ward 1 Alderman George Gilson Jr. and Ward 4 Alderman Rose Spears voting against it. Final expense, revenue and fund balance projections will be available after city staff incorporates small changes into the budget proposal. Those changes were not calculated within the proposal as officials discussed it in recent weeks. The original budget proposal did not include money for raises for existing staff through April 2017. On March 27, aldermen decided to set aside $150,000 for raises in the upcoming year…

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Reasonable Conservative

12:39 pm on Thursday, August 16, 2012

Excellent point, Kathy.   more ›

Editor's Corner

7 Interesting Things About the City’s Budget Proposal

City leaders are trying to build the general fund balance and could add a sewer fee in May 2013.

In rough economic times, budgeting more often involves hard choices than truly interesting discussions. Yorkville leaders are several weeks into budget discussions and have tweaked the original document through a list of changes. The listed changes won’t be merged into the overall budget document until the City Council approves the budget, so following the discussion can be a bit complicated. However, here are seven points worth noting:  1)   City leaders are expecting to end the fiscal year April 30 much better than they thought they would when they adopted the budget last year. The budget they adopted predicted a $5.07 million fund balance on April 30, but more recent projections put that number at $6.54 million. Overall, city leaders …

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From Elected Officials Health Insurance to Employee Raises

Yorkville leaders got sidetracked during a sometimes heated discussion Tuesday about their medical benefits.

A discussion at Tuesday’s City Council meeting began with elected officials health insurance and ended with a decision to add $150,000 to the proposed budget for employee raises. Elected officials medical insurance benefits must be defined six months before they are elected, so any changes would not go into effect until after the 2013 election. About $150,000 has been included in the draft budget for elected officials health insurance in the fiscal year starting May 1, so the employee raises eat away at the projected budget surplus. Yorkville city employees have not received a raise in four years. Aldermen put off approving the budget draft for at least two weeks. They voted to table it until their April 10 meeting. Ward 1 Alderman George …

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Mayor: Tentative Agreement Struck to Buy Rec Center

City would pay Walker Custom Homes $2.5 million over 20 years with a 6 percent interest rate, Yorkville Mayor Gary Golinski said.

Yorkville has a tentative agreement to buy the REC Center for $2.5 million, which is about $1 million less than the appraised value and $1.5 million than the price in the original lease agreement. City Council members could vote on the deal in about two months, Mayor Gary Golinski said. If ultimately approved, the city would pay the $2.5 million over 20 years to Walker Custom Homes, plus 6 percent interest, Golinski said. “At that price and interest rate, we’ll have a good cushion for capital improvements,” Golinski said. He also anticipated that the facility would run an annual surplus high enough to eventually cover the total deficit it has generated since the city began leasing the facility in 2008. The annual deficit was about $77,000 …

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Another Push for Push for the Path

Yorkville aldermen are expected to discuss the Kennedy Road trail grant and a private fundraising effort Tuesday.

A Kennedy Road bike trail supporter has taken her cause to YouTube, posting a video this week encouraging people to attend Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Rachel Engelhardt had followed the bike trail issue through the failed referendum and through public discussions of creating a non-profit called Push for the Path. She finally got involved when it appeared aldermen were going to reject a $1.4 million grant over concerns about funding the city’s 20 percent share of the project. “I’ve been sitting at home thinking I’ll make a contribution, all I need to know is where to write a check and where to send it to,” Engelhardt said. “(Then) I started having a panic moment: ‘Oh we’re going to let this go.’” So, she called Lynn Dubajic, executive …

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Poll: Donate Toward Kennedy Road Bike Path?

We ask the question as private fundraising efforts were discussed at Yorkville's Public Works Committee meeting Tuesday.

Aldermen might reject a $1.4 million grant for a bike trail along Kennedy Road over the city's 20 percent share of the overall project costs. A private group called Push for the Path has offered to raise the city's $357,320 share over several years, but some aldermen want to see the money upfront to avoid diverting city funds if fundraising efforts fall flat.

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What If the City Doesn't Buy the REC Center?

A new committee will explore how Yorkville would manage its recreation programs without the REC Center facility.

A handful of city leaders will explore alternatives to using the REC Center building through a committee Mayor Gary Golinski formed in light of the decision not to renew the facility’s lease. The REC Center houses the Recreation Department administrative staff, fitness equipment and programs, a pool and several recreation classes, although some recreation programs are offered at city parks and at local schools. Aldermen voted unanimously last month not to renew the lease on the REC Center facility in July 2013, and city leaders continue to explore purchasing the building on Yorkville’s north side. However, this ad hoc committee will consider options for adapting city programs if the city ultimately doesn’t purchase the building, Golinski …

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