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Romeo trustees confront growing budget gap, weighing public‑safety assessment and delaying roads and parking projects
Summary
Trustees discussed options to close a projected deficit—special assessment for police, fire and dispatch, reissuing road bonds or delaying parking‑lot projects—after staff outlined a multi‑million dollar capital gap and rising public‑safety costs.
At an April 30 special meeting the Village of Romeo Board of Trustees spent much of its time considering how to close a widening budget gap and whether to shift certain costs to voters or a targeted special assessment.
Staff presented a multi‑year forecast showing large capital needs (trustees cited an approximate $6 million backlog for roads and parking lots) and rising operating costs for police, fire and dispatch. Trustees explored options including reissuing a bond for streets, a business‑district special assessment for downtown sidewalks, or a public‑safety special assessment to free general‑fund dollars for capital work.
Staff estimated that fully covering an illustrative $2.4 million cost for police, fire and dispatch would equate to roughly 10.5 mills (the meeting materials showed an approximate homeowner impact of about $975 per year for an average taxable value cited during the discussion). Meeting participants noted that the board need not levy the full amount immediately and discussed phasing in a smaller millage or banking proceeds to smooth future spikes in contract costs.
Trustees also discussed the operational tradeoffs of contracting with the county sheriff for policing. Staff said studies suggest county contracting could cost between about $1.2 million (police only) and $1.4–1.5 million (including dispatch) initially, with escalation in later years; trustees cautioned that a contract could reduce local coverage for non‑emergent calls and might raise insurance or other indirect costs.
On capital, attendees reviewed the history of a past bond that funded prior street projects and discussed the prospect of asking voters to approve another bond. Staff noted prior special assessments (for sidewalks in the downtown business district) set a precedent for targeted, benefit‑based charges to property owners; trustees asked the village attorney to advise whether a parking‑lot special assessment limited to businesses would be feasible.
The board directed staff to produce more detailed scenarios and asked for a narrowed list of options to present at a special budget meeting scheduled for May 6. Trustees debated a mix of near‑term smaller levies versus larger voter measures and emphasized that the village must choose a path soon to avoid deeper deficits later.
