The District 91 school board, at its monthly meeting last week, voted to approve an $18.1 million budget for fiscal year 2012.
D91’s FY ’12 budget states that the district will spend $1.5 million more than it takes in this year. But the district has $25 million in reserves, according to Assistant Superintendent Ed Brophy, something he attributed to years of frugal budgeting.
“Our approach is fiscally conservative,” Brophy said.
Earlier this year, D91 was recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for its fiscal health.
The education fund makes up the majority of the district’s annual budgeted spending at $13.3 million, but salaries for district employees – part of the education fund – come out to nearly half of the FY ’12 budget, at $9.7 million.
Community center sign put up years ago
The village recently said the night parking hours, posted on a sign near the community center’s parking lot, have been listed as 9 p.m.-7 a.m. for at least 13 years.
According to information from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed with the village on Sept. 1, the community center sign at Jackson Boulevard and Desplaines Avenue has been in place since “pre-1998.” But until last month, village code stated that the night parking permit hours for that lot were 8 p.m.-9 a.m. Following a resolution passed on Aug. 8, those hours were officially changed to 9 p.m.-7 a.m.
It is not clear how long the village was enforcing the sign’s hours – in conflict with village code – as Village Clerk Vanessa Moritz said she was unable to pinpoint a specific year. It is also not clear how much revenue the police department took in enforcing hours that were not on the books.
-Compiled by Nick Moroni
