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continuity of people,” he said.
individuals for commuter parking permits, which has since vanished.
Hinsdale has a reserve of $8.2 million, which accounts for approximately 34 percent of its operating expenses, thus placing it in a more comfortable position even during a crisis such as this.
“Most of the people who used to park in that lot have just surrendered their permits,” Cauley said. “They just haven't renewed them.” Diminished driving has led to fewer visits to gas stations, which Cauley said has produced a significant impact on sales tax in Hinsdale, whose oasis, Mobil and Ogden Ave. gas stations account for a substantial portion of its overall sales tax revenues. “We need these monies to maintain these services that the community is used to,” he said.
In forecasting for 2021, Cauley said the village assumed “things would get better, but not by much.” “We did a fairly conservative budget this year,” he said. Grasso said Burr Ridge is “very dependent” on sales tax revenues, with only approximately two percent of property tax bills being directed to the village. “Many people think that villages run on property taxes,” he said. “Almost none do.”
Cauley said the village has deferred maintenance on loans to sustain the essential services of police, fire and public works, and has not laid off any employees.
Barr said Clarendon Hills received grants early in the year for its revitalization project, which “really helped to put our overall financial position in a better light.”
“We think it’s important to have
He said his village was not as financially
impacted as some municipalities, because it derives a smaller portion of its revenues from sales tax. As we move into 2021 and Coronavirus vaccines are rolled out, village officials are hopeful that we may regain a sense of normalcy by the second half of the year. The order of vaccination eligibility is as follows: first, healthcare workers and long-term care residents; second, essential workers such as firefighters and police officers; and third, all adults 65 or over or at high-risk for suffering serious complications from the virus. “It sounds like by late spring, for most people, it could happen,” Barr said. The villages are optimistic that they will be able to renew their summer events in 2021. “We’re very hopeful that by summer, those types of things can go forward, more or less, as normal,” Barr said. “I’m hoping that this will all be over by the summer, and we’ll be able to have all of our summer events,” Cauley said. “The vaccines are the game-changer,” Grasso said. But officials likewise understand that there is still a long way to go until the pandemic has abated, and local businesses will continue to require assistance for much of 2021. Burr Ridge is in the process of fashioning an entertainment section within the village center, which will be situated between Kohler and Topaz at one end, and between Wok-n-fire and Chico’s at the other. The portion of the street in that space will be closed off to drivers. Grasso said Burr Ridge does not believe the village center can be as reliant upon retail going forward. “I think retail is going to have to rethink its existence before the pandemic,” he said. “The businesses that are the most likely to survive the pandemic are the chains, and I’m very concerned about the businesses in Hinsdale that are not chains,” Cauley said. Cauley said Hinsdale’s vacancy rate has been “extremely low”—presently about four percent—and that he is “anxious” to keep businesses in the village. “We’ve been very good at keeping businesses in town.”
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