West Deerfield Township cuts  tax levy 5 percent

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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:16AM

West Deerfield Township’s 2012 property tax levy will be 5 percent less — not more — than last year’s levy.

The township has sufficient budget reserves to allow the tax decrease and still meet its obligations to the community, West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison said.

“We are very good at managing our money,” Morrison said. “The township has historically had a very small staff who is cross-trained and able to do a lot more service without adding personnel.

“We also have been very careful with spending our funds. We have a slight reserve and we’re going to take any extra money that is needed out of that, but I don’t think we’ll have to do that.”

Last year, the board froze its levy because people were having a hard time paying their property taxes. Morrison didn’t know of any similar action that was taken in prior years.

The township, which began its fiscal year April 1, has a levy of $874,693, Morrison said.

According to the township’s appropriations ordinances, available at www.westdeerfieldtownship.org, the township has budgeted $1.76 million in expenditures from April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012.

That includes about $1.61 million for the general town fund, $110,600 for the general assistance fund, and $41,000 for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. ‘

That’s against total expected revenue of about $1.07 million.

According to the township’s appropriations ordinance, West Deerfield started this fiscal year with $1.53 million in reserves in its three funds, nearly an entire year’s worth of expenses. By the time the budget year ends, those reserves are expected to be at $839,900.

“The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in Springfield usually advises keeping six months of reserves in the event that something happens with the property tax,” Morrison said.

“Then, the government will still be able to operate.”

To achieve savings, Morrison said the township has developed intergovernmental agreements and partnerships with different organizations.

For example, the township is responsible for roads, but doesn’t have a road district. So it contracts road work out to Vernon Township.

And the township partners with groups such as the Deerfield Optimists Club, which supports a back-to-school program for children of needy families.

Morrison also trained and became certified as a caseworker, so she could handle the general assistance and welfare programs usually administrated by a case worker, saving the salary that person would be paid.

“The board continues to see people coming to the township office who still have not been able to find jobs. It had to do something,” Morrison said.

The township’s duties include financial assistance, emergency and accessibility grants, voter and passport services to residents, as well as maintenance of unincorporated roads and property assessment.

In some instances, the township has increased some services.

“We have a transportation program called ‘Going Places,’ which is a van that, by appointment, takes anyone around who has any kind of a mobility challenge,” Morrison said.

“Medical needs comes first, but we also like to do quality of life trips. We’ve really increased the number of riders and the hours we’ve been operating.

The charge is only $3 for a round trip if it is less than five miles, or $5 if more. The van has gone to Glenview, Northbrook, Niles and even to Chicago area Veterans Administration facilities. And veterans ride free.

Riders can be elderly, frail, without good vision or even obese and unable to use a cab, Morrison noted.

“I think the levy cutback is a nice thing to do for people,” she added.

“I hope other governments will look at it and say, ‘Maybe we can tighten our belts too. The people have to do that. Government should not be above doing that.’”