By Joe Ragusa
NORMAL – The Town of Normal is progressing towards a balanced budget for the new fiscal year that begins April 1.
Normal City Manager Mark Peterson told WJBC’s Dan Swaney the budget should be ready for a council vote in the first week of March.
“It’s one of the largest budgets we’ve had since I’ve been here but it tends to grow over time,” Peterson said. “But it’s a good budget. No dramatic changes. Probably the most significant addition to the budget is the revenue from the (recently passed) one percent sales tax (increase), which of course we’re investing in a variety of ways.
Peterson said a quarter of the revenue from the new sales tax will go towards the county’s mental health needs and the rest will go towards Connect Transit, infrastructure projects and the town’s parks.
Peterson said the council may also consider a sewer rate hike in the summer.
“I don’t think it’ll be a huge increase,” Peterson said.
Peterson said the potential increase would address low funding.
“The funds that come from the sewer rates that people pay on their water bills… that’s what pays for the system,” Peterson said. “We can’t take money out of the general fund or use sales tax money or other things for the sewer and water system. That’s an enterprise fund, so the fees that we pay have to be sufficient to cover the expenses.”
Peterson said the sanitary sewer system is in pretty good shape, which is why he expects the rate hike to be low.
Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].
