The Vandalia City Council approved their budget for fiscal year 2016 at their meeting last night. In the budget hearing, Mayor Rick Gottman explained the 9.154 million dollar budget is in the red by $116,526—but that is all from the capital improvement fund, as the City of Vandalia will use some of their reserve money to take care of the part in the red to take care of some long overdue projects. Mayor Gottman says some of those projects include the water meters, 10 new fire hydrants, the bridge at 5th and Randolph Streets, work at the large and small city lagoon and other projects. All the other city funds and all the departments are in the black for the year. Mayor Gottman says it is a good budget.
One capital improvement project that is not in the budget is the new bridge that is needed to connect the road from U.S. Route 51 to Thrill Hill Road—that bridge has been out and not passable for some time. Mayor Gottman says the city simply does not have the money to cover that project.
The City of Vandalia had delayed putting out their new fiscal year budget, waiting to see what the State of Illinois would do to city tax funding. But, Mayor Gottman says they have been assured there are dollars the state cannot touch, so they feel confident in the funding for this budget.