Aurora’s 2012 budget looking ‘slightly’ up

• Reprints

Updated: December 10, 2011 9:56AM

AURORA — The bottom line for next year’s budget: Things are looking “only slightly better” than last year, City Finance Director Brian Caputo said.

The city has released the proposed $358 million budget for 2012, on par with the budget the city passed last year.

“It’s not a matter of being back to pre-recession levels, but things have ticked up a bit,” Caputo said. “With cost containment measures and modest revenue, it looks like we’ll be OK.”

Caputo said a slight increase in sales tax and a larger share of the state income tax due to the 2010 census have brought more revenue to the city. Revenue from property taxes is expected to be about the same as last year, and the tax levy is expected to drop slightly, said City Chief of Staff Carie Anne Ergo.

The slight increase in budget expenditures can be attributed to the increase in personnel costs and related benefits and $11.3 million in first-year costs related to a proposed new main library downtown. That plan has not been presented to City Council, who would have to approve a tax levy for construction.

The city is not planning any furlough days for employees, but furlough days are not being ruled out, either, depending on the economy, Ergo said. Some city staff groups will receive moderate raises, as outlined in their collective bargaining agreements, Caputo noted.

But Caputo and Ergo said that the budget’s plans could change if the economy experiences a double-dip recession.

“There are not furlough days that are budgeted at this point, but we’ve let our employee groups know this (budget) doesn’t preclude them,” Ergo said. “This is a very tight budget.”

The 2012 budget plans to restore the special events coordinator position. The Office of Special Events was a casualty of the 2011 budget. A development coordinator in the Development Services department and a project assistant in the Planning and Zoning division also are new positions included in the budget.

The budget also restores overtime hours for fire personnel after concerns grew when a ladder truck was taken out of commission when staff was unavailable in 2011.

In 2010, City Council approved a $340 million budget that attempted to eliminate an $18 million deficit by cutting city spending by $7 million while delaying planned projects. That budget also cut 98 full-time positions through retirements, voluntary separations and layoffs.

All city employees were asked to take a 10 percent salary cut or equivalent in 2010.

Ergo said that since 2009, the city has cut 175 employees.

Caputo said that the city expects to pass the budget by Dec. 13.

The 1,156-page 2012 proposed budget can be found online at http://www.aurora-il.org/finance/budget/index.php.