Over the past year our TEAM at the Village of Buckner have been working to straighten up our finances. Here is where we have been saving money and what those savings are being spent on. Some amounts are estimated.
1. Saved about $285 a month switching from Frontier $501 to Sparklight $216. We disconnected one line that was our fax machine. Savings of about $2,091 a year.
2. Our Mayor Eubanks temporarily absorbed the water department position saving $300 a month. (Also mail multiple bills in one envelope). $3,600 per year savings.
3. With the difficult decision we closed our Police Department saving on dispatch fees $2,000 year, insurance about $7,000 a year, maintenance and payroll totaling about $30,000 a year or about $2,500 per month.
4. We opened a separate bank account for our trash service, corrected the number of trash customer from 239 cost $2,800 to 199 cost about $2,500 customers saving $300 per month. Savings of about $3,600 per year.
5. Sold surplus property one police car for $3,000 and another property for $21,000. Earning $24,000 and saving an average of $300 per month on utilities. We also gained a new Water, sewer and trash customer. Plus, it put that property back on the property tax rolls. Savings of about $3,600 per year on utilities. Minimum income from new water customer $612 a year.
6. We unfortunately had to raise Water, Sewer and trash rates to keep up with the rate increases. Making it possible to pay for:
A. Water supply avg $2,700 per month, maintenance and water loan about $1,200 month. Water tower inspection $2,700, Water meters $$ and a new water testing kit about $5,000
B. Sewer treatment cost about $800 per month, maintenance and loan about $24,000 year. New sewer flow meter about $4,000.
C. Trash service fees about $2,500 per month.
7. The Village received several IRS penalties for Employment tax withholding. Mayor Eubanks contacted the IRS and found out the Village failed to submit several 941’s over several years 2017, 2018 & 2020 quarters. Our Treasurer Phyllis filled out and submitted the missing 941’s to the IRS the same day. We were hit with several penalties from those missing 941’s from 2017, 2018 & 2020 quarters totaling about $48,000. We filled out seven 843’s claims for refund or abatement of interest, penalties and fees. We are getting help from Mike Bost office with contacting the IRS. Request is still pending.
8. Village was behind 3 years of audits as of May 2021. It will cost about $30,000 to complete those audits. Audit for 2022 is also due with cost of $10,000. We had 2018 audit completed for $5,000 totaling $10,000 spent. Mayor Eubanks contacted the Illinois Comptroller in May of 2021 to plead not to charge us any penalties and now he sends reports periodically on current status of audits.
9. Vacant lots that are mowed by the Village are now invoiced to the owners to recoup the cost for labor, maintenance and fuel. Recoup about $150 per month.
10. We have received about $29,000 in ARPA funds to help pay for water and sewer infrastructure. Keep in mind one of our bigger sewer pumps cost about $20,000. We should receive another $29,000 in September 2022.
11. We had to hire an accountant with the request of an auditor to clean up QuickBooks from May 2018 to present. This was also expressed to be done in previous year audits. He has to manually enter everything into a new QuickBooks.
12. Our Motor Fuel Fund can only be spent on road repairs. Since May 2021 we have spent about $75,000 on our roads. This includes the work that is about to start soon 2022 patching then oil and chipping several Streets. Just about all the funds we have left will be used to complete this project. We are paying $215 per month back to the Motor fuel fund for misappropriations of funds that happened in the early 2000’s.
13. Mayor Eubanks submitted several requests for Village properties to be except from taxes. The results were a savings of about $180 a year. He completed the except forms for the old school property were the Village pays $571 a year. The Village received the property in 2010 and not sure if that was the property tax amount paid each year. The request is pending.
We have received a number of donations for the Village. Residents donated new street signs, no dumping signs, neighborhood watch and No Soliciting signs, donations for Christmas presents, donated Independence Day display and residents donated their time volunteering, events, picking up trash around town and the Mine pond. We thank you for your time and donations.
ESTIMATED SAVINGS OUR FIRST YEAR $52,071 “FOCUSED ON OUR FUTURE!”
Village of Buckner 