Trustees direct $50,000 transfer as village continues to repay $600,000 Sewer Fund shortfall

Village Deputy Clerk Prehn told the board March 25 that the village has been repaying money taken from the Sewer Fund under the previous administration and that more transfers are planned to restore balance. "We had a $600,000.00 dollar deficit," she said, and reported that $210,000 was repaid last year and $82,900 has been repaid so far this year; she also noted payroll-related reimbursements that would total $92,462.25.

Board members discussed the pace of repayment and asked Prehn to move forward with an additional $50,000 transfer from the General Fund to the Sewer Fund before the end of the fiscal year. President Marilyn Shepit sought clarification on how much of the original $600,000 had been replaced; Prehn summarized the known repayments and said the forthcoming audit and online payment reconciliations could identify additional recoveries.

Prehn explained the mechanics for recovering legal and lien-related costs: when the village attorney places a lien on a property for unpaid sewer charges, recording and related fees are initially paid and later reimbursed to the General Fund by the property owner when collections occur. She said that legal fees and payroll reimbursements will appear in audit accounting and affect year-end totals.

The board did not take a formal roll-call motion to adopt a multi-year repayment plan at the meeting; members instead directed the deputy clerk to process another $50,000 transfer and to continue audit reconciliations. The next board meeting is scheduled for April 22, 2025.