West Deerfield Township Leads By Example in New Fiscal Year

Communities across the North Shore and much of Illinois remain cautious about their economic futures and  is no different.

In December, the Township adopted a 5 percent reduction in their 2012 tax levy, which, according to , amounts to roughly $874,600.

“The board and I both felt it was a response to the fact that (we) continue to see people struggling in the economy,” Morrison said. “We're asking everyone to tighten their belts, so they can make it at home. We felt that it was only right the township lead by example and do the same thing."

The estimates of that effort in the 2011 budget came to roughly $1.036 million in revenue and roughly $1.6 million in expenditures which includes early retirement of the mortgage on the Township's building in the amount of $368,650. Other expenditures include personnel expenses at about $348,000 and community service expenses at roughly $95,000. As of March 2012, when the fiscal year ends, the township's ending balance should stand at approximately $628,000.

"A whole range of things ... have really been exacerbated by the economy in the last (few) years," Morrison said. "That means (people are) not getting jobs, and they're still job searching or working below what they need in order to make it."

The housing market, she said, has likewise played a disheartening role in residents' lives.

"The housing market has been so slow, we've actually seen some people just walk away from their homes," she recalled. "Not a lot, but some. This is after foreclosure."

In the Village of Deerfield — where as of late, 113 homes were pending foreclosure, auction, or were in bank owned stages of the foreclosure process, it's a similar story.

"It's impacting our community here," Morrison said. "We've really been trying to assist people in finding jobs and the appropriate resources they need."

Two such resources are the transportation or "Going Places" program for senior citizens and an accessibility program for residents. The latter allows families to apply for up to $1,000, which can help close learning gaps through technology for the developmentally disabled or fund home modifications for those with accessibility issues.

"We look at this very broadly," Morrison said. "The state hasn't been able to keep up, in my opinion, with the needs of some of our residents; and the township is trying to respond to some of the most desperate needs that we've seen."