Village allocates $50,000 for purchases

The Belgium Village Board agreed to spend $53,500 on a variety of capital items, including a new emergency siren, on Monday, per a recommendation from the Finance and Personnel Committee.

Before the purchases, the village’s fund balance — essentially its savings account for emergencies and unexpected costs — stood at 29.6% of its operating budget. The recommended amount is 10% to 25%, President Vickie Boehnlein said.

The most expensive item is a new tornado siren for $18,500. Director of Public Works Dan Birenbaum said one of the village’s two sirens needs to be moved due to the reconstruction of Main Street. The old siren would eventually have to be replaced, he said, and the new one will cover a larger area than the two current sirens combined. It will be placed near the tennis courts at municipal garage No. 2.

For $9,600, the village will update its mapping software and allow for changes to be made throughout the year.

Sidewalk work at Heritage Park will cost $6,500, and $4,300 will cover budget shortages for auditing services, higher-than-expected gas costs at the maintenance shop, snowplow blades on a truck and a new starter and fuel pump for the village’s boom truck.

The village is getting a paint sprayer for $3,700, gutters for shop No. 2 for $2,600, an adjustment to the base of its welcome sign for $2,500 and a concrete slab behind the maintenance shop for $2,000.

For $2,500, an overhead door will be installed at the office. Boehnlein said the number of outside groups using Village Hall for meetings has been increasing, and the office should be more secure.

Other items include American flags for the new streetlights on Main Street, a storage cabinet for office supplies and a secure storage facility for the village’s server and election equipment.

Birenbaum said he would like to get a leaf vacuum to increase efficiency in leaf pickup. He was looking at a used truck, but the board, citing unexpected problems with the old equipment, suggested looking at a new one.

New units cost $50,000 to $60,000, Birenbaum said. He planned to spend as much as $15,000 for a used model, but was directed to seek quotes for a new model.

The board approved the purchases, 5-1. Trustee Clem Gottsacker abstained since his company will likely be installing the $150 lock on the storage facility for village equipment.