Committee approves budget

The 2021 Village of Belgium budget came in $5,600 short, but that was quickly fixed last week.

The Committee of the Whole — the Village Board meeting in committee format — approved a balanced budget with a levy of $1.047 million, up from this year’s $1.045 million.

To make up for the $5,600 shortfall, Public Works Director Dan Birenbaum suggested taking out $15,000 of fencing at Community Park.

“If we need a place to come up with some money, there’s a place to get it,” he said.

The committee agreed, then decided  what to do with the extra $9,000. It could have reduced the levy, pay down debt, put it into capital projects or toward lowering the tax rate.

“There’s enough (money) in contingency. Give it back to the taxpayer,” Trustee Josh Borden said.

That would lower the tax rate by 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The 2021 tax rate has not been finalized since the village is waiting on manufacturing property values from the state, but Treasurer Vickie Boehnlein said she expects the rate to drop slightly from last year’s $5.32 per $1,000 of assessed value.

A public hearing on the budget is slated to be held next month.