Contracts for services such as such as snow removal, street cleaning and tree planting, among others, makes up almost a third of the village budget, and it’s the next place the Oak Park Board of Trustees will try to find cuts.
Village Trustee Adam Salzman, who serves as chief of staff to Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin (1st District), said the county already has a contract review committee.
“My thought was that we could have a committee of the village board that focuses exclusively on contracts and whether we’re getting the best bang for our buck,” Salzman said.
He noted that roughly a third of the village’s expenditures goes toward various contracts. According to the 2016 budget approved last month, roughly $46 million was spent on various contracts last year — about 32 percent of the overall budget.
An estimated $50 million is budgeted for 2016.Â
Although personnel makes up the largest portion of the budget, Salzman said, cuts there can be difficult because salaries are largely controlled by union collective bargaining agreements.
Contracts are frequently approved by the board as part of the consent agenda during public meetings, so there has often been little to no discussion about the costs of contracts.
Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb agreed that the costs of contracts could use some more attention from trustees.
“I think this is really just a way for the board to have a second pair of eyes on the substance of these contracts,” said Abu-Taleb, noting that contracts were given closer scrutiny by the Economic Development Committee, but that committee was disbanded as part of the 2013 reorganization of the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, a quasi-governmental nonprofit tasked with attracting and retaining business in the village.
“The most important thing we do is follow the money, and this gives us a better opportunity to do so,” Abu-Taleb said.
Salzman said the items on the committee’s first agenda are slated to be included on the board’s consent agenda within the next few weeks.
“If anything raises a red flag, then those on the contract committee can alert our colleagues,” Salzman said.
Abu-Taleb said the first meeting of the committee, scheduled for 8 a.m. on Jan. 12 in village hall, will include himself, Salzman and Trustee Bob Tucker, but all of the trustees are invited to attend.Â
The committee is expected to meet once a month.
CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com