The City of Edwardsville is one of 14 communities in the region operating with deficit spending.

Thirty-one of the 49 Metro East cities and villages listed on the Illinois Office of Comptroller’s financial data web page (http://warehouse.illinoiscomptroller.gov) reported a budget surplus for the 2017 fiscal year.

Fourteen operated at a deficit during their most recent fiscal year, according to data posted to the website.

Three Metro East cities —Brooklyn, East St. Louis and Washington Park — have not reported data in the past three years, according to the website. The website lists 2016 data for the Village of Alorton.

Budget surpluses range from $6 million in O’ Fallon to around $50,000 in some of the region’s smaller incorporated areas.

Deficits range from $3 million in Grafton to about $23,000 in Worden.

However, not all deficits may be as dire as they initially appear, local officials note.

In the case of Grafton, the city saw one unusual event in FY 2017 that resulted in an unusually large deficit on the books – specifically, the sale of the city sewer plant in FY 2017 to Illinois American Waster.

The city “had to write off the difference in the capital amount of the sewer plant ($4,622,885) and the accumulated depreciation ($1,493,507) for a net write-off of 3,129,378,” explains City Treasurer Joseph Soer.  Deficits in the city general fund and TIF funds added to the total.

Numerous cities have privatized sewer or water systems over recent years, citing limited funding for system improvements.

In Grafton, proceeds from the sale allowed the city to pay off all its long-term indebtedness.

The Illinois Fiscal Responsibility Report Card Act requires all local governments to submit an Annual Financial Reports (AFR) to the Illinois Office of the Comptroller annually. AFRs summarize the revenues, expenditures, fund balances and debt of each reporting unit of local government.

Listed below are the population, total equalized assessed valuation (EAV), staffing, expenditure, revenue, and total indebtedness data for Metro East cities and villages as reported on fiscal year 2017 AFRs.

(Specific data on municipal employee pension and retirement benefit plans — another major fiscal responsibility for most local government entities — is not required in the reports. Nearly all reporting cities and villages in Metro East sponsor such benefit plans. Only Alhambra, Hamel, Livingston, Marine, New Douglas, St. Libory, Williamson and Worden do not.)

Alhambra – Population: 665, EAV: $7,946,270, Total Employees: 2, Total Expenditures: $521,845, Total Revenues, $576,158, Total Indebtedness: $219,956.

Alorton (Fiscal Year 2016) – Population: 1,979, EAV: $7,048,368, Total Employees: 42, Total Expenditures: $1,459,243, Total Revenues: $1,552,219. (No indebtedness listed.)

Alton – Population: 27,000, EAV: $303,261,524, Total Employees: 270, Total Expenditures: $64,994,315; Total Revenues: $66,203,847; Total Indebtedness: $12,280,500.

Belleville – Population: 44,478, EAV: $403,383,189, Total Employees: 366, Total Expenditures: $76,834,067, Total Revenues $76,462,180, Total Indebtedness: $134,910,657.

Bethalto – Population: 10,648, EAV: $142,318,312, Total Employees: 47, Total Expenditures: $10,853,392, Total Revenues: $11,578,807, Total Indebtedness: $8,856,747.

Brooklyn — No data is available.

Cahokia – Population: 15,241, EAV: $46,565,813, Total Employees: 107, Total Expenditures $14,056,796 Total Revenues $14,561,808. Total Indebtedness $2,608,288.

Caseyville – Population: 4,245, EAV: $32,510,894, Total Employees: 71, Total Expenditures: $8,538,358, Total Revenues: $8,495,019, Total Indebtedness: $1,957,500.

Collinsville – Population: 25,025, EAV: 355,516,041, Total Employees: 196, Total Expenditures: $40,555,676, Total Revenues: $42,997,366; Total Indebtedness $42,196,844

Columbia – Population: 10,273, EAV: 260,000,349, Total Employees: 116, Total Expenditures: $11,855,023, Total Revenues: $13,568,768, Total Indebtedness: $5,910,044.

Dupo – Population: 4,138, EAV: $38,888,708; Total Employees: 31, Total Expenditures: $5,383,039; Total Revenues: $5,234,668, Total Indebtedness $3,192,372.

East Alton – Population: 6,301, EAV: $61,878,231, Total Employees: 97, Total Expenditures: $9,138,666, Total Revenues: $7,898,008, Total Indebtedness: $4,645,346.

East St. Louis City — No data is available.

Edwardsville – Population: 26,631, EAV: $645,285,934, Total Employees: 253, Total Expenditures: $52,227,863, Total Revenues: $47,328,004, Total Indebtedness: $33,354,818.

Fairview Heights – Population: 16,769, EAV: 387,050,517, Total Employees: 187, Total Expenditures: $26,852,247, Total Revenues: $28,000,102, Total Indebtedness: $1,614,750.

Glen Carbon – Population: 12,934, EAV: $360,561,627, Total Employees: 78, Total Expenditures: $17,255,005, Total Revenues $18,372,669 Total Indebtedness $24,700,575.

Godfrey – Population: 17,982, EAV: $336,261,282, Total Employees: 157, Total Expenditures: $9,041,770, Total Revenues: $9,800,341, Total Indebtedness $1,985,547.

Grafton – Population: 660, EAV: $25,498,890, Total Employees: 29. Total Expenditures $5,188,911, Total Revenues $2,139,092. (No indebtedness listed.)

Granite City – Population: 28,908, EAV: $312,853,779, Total Employees: 313, Total Expenditures: $50,800,501, Total Revenues: $53,512,671, Total Indebtedness: $111,330,034.

Grantfork – Population: 328; EAV: $7,456,650, Total Employees: 16, Total Expenditures: $645,226, Total Revenues: $590,452. (No indebtedness listed.)

Hamel – Population: 816; EAV: $19,077,890, Total Employees: 14, Total Expenditures: $1,244,567, Total Revenues: $1,288,004; Total Indebtedness: $729,000.

Hartford – Population: 1,507, EAV: $68,006,477, Total Employees: 40, Total Expenditures: $4,267,447, Total Revenues: $3,334,502, Total Indebtedness $1,722.

Highland – Population: 9,919, EAV: $180,405,083, Total Employees: 318, Total Expenditures: $37,640,822, Total Revenues: $39,139,285, Total Indebtedness: $25,474,056.

Livingston – Population: 858, EAV: $6,557,965, Total Employees: 8, Total Expenditures: $562,509, Total Revenues: $616,976. (No indebtedness listed.)

Madison – Population: 3,891, EAV: $42,667,281, Total Employees: 75, Total Expenditures: $11,183,218, Total Revenues: $11,686,514, Total Indebtedness: $574,830.

Marine – Population: 960, EAV: $12,448,520, Total Employees: 21, Total Expenditures: $973,893, Total Revenues: $850,856, Total Indebtedness $163,999.

Maryville – Population 7,487, EAV $190,116,685, Total Employees: 70, Total Expenditures: $7,204,767, Total Revenues: $7,955,310, Total Indebtedness: $3,891,735.

Mascoutah — Population 7,483, EAV: $124,871,274, Total Employees: 129, Total Expenditures: $17,898,605, Total Revenues: $18,403,573, Total Indebtedness: $12,037,454.

New Baden – Population: 3,300, EAV: $45,163,500, Total Employees 60 Total Expenditures $3,772,887, Total Revenues $3,434,050, Total Indebtedness $3,192,372.

O’ Fallon is in a relatively solid financial situation, operating with a $6 million budget surplus in 2017.

New Douglas – Population: 400, EAV: $2,655,324, Total Employees: 23, Total Expenditures: $192,208, Total Revenues: $146,485, Total Indebtedness: $510,000.

O’Fallon – Population: 30,440, EAV: 656,002,514, Total Employees: 260, Total Expenditures: $51,973,626, Total Revenues: $58,112,613, Total Indebtedness: $64,499,639.

Pontoon Beach – Population: 5,609, EAV: $68,233,962, Total Employees: 50, Total Expenditures: $6,913,045, Total Revenues: $7,128,642, Total Indebtedness: $8,416,758.

Red Bud – Population: 3,559, EAV: $68,125,545, Total Employees: 42, Total Expenditures: $10,596,936, Total Revenues: $9,816,594, Total Indebtedness: $642,562.

Roxana – Population: 1,500, EAV: $314,759,230, Total Employees: 29, Total Expenditures: $5,104,398, Total Revenues: $6,592,281, Total Indebtedness: $4,806,660. Sauget – Population: 159, EAV: $44,280,687, Total Employees: 40, Total Expenditures: $40,924,559, Total Revenues: $38,980,640, Total Indebtedness: $1,441,117.

Shiloh – Population: 13,961, EAV: $223,023,537, Total Employees: 36, Total Expenditures: $10,590,018, Total Revenues: $11,345,984, Total Indebtedness: $16,357,203.

South Roxana – Population: 2,010, EAV: $14,370,280, Total Employees: 17, Total Expenditures: $1,782,135, Total Revenues: $1,817,614. (No indebtedness listed.)

St. Jacob – Population: 1,150, EAV: $18,205,906, Total Employees: 12, Total Expenditures: $1,040,846, Total Revenues: $1,225,683, Total Indebtedness: $104,798.

St. Libory – Population: 615, EAV: 8,432,671, Total Employees: 9, Total Expenditures: $577,118, Total Revenues: $612,354, Total Indebtedness: $43,152.

Swansea – Population: 13,712, EAV: $271,596,492, Total Employees: 93, Total Expenditures: $11,074,824; Total Revenues: $13,132,743; Total Indebtedness: $16,096,457.

Smithton – Population: 3,737, EAV: $74,393,316, Total Employees: 49, Total Expenditures: $3,090,104; Total Revenues: $3,355,157; Total Indebtedness: $4,734,738.

Troy – Population: 10,023, EAV: 197,291,587, Total Employees: 61, Total Expenditures: $10,427,334, Total Revenues: $11,557,913, Total Indebtedness: $10,874,642.

Trenton – Population: 2,715, EAV: $43,598,321, Total Employees: 27, Total Expenditures: $3,667,256, Total Revenues: $3,095,233, Total Indebtedness: $1,102,003.

Venice – Population: 1,915, EAV: $12,719,708, Total Employees: 53, Total Expenditures: $2,424,234, Total Revenues: $2,653,972. (No indebtedness listed.)

Washington Park — No data is available.

Waterloo – Population: 10,879, EAV: $231,318,703, Total Employees: 107, Total Expenditures: $24,267,626, Total Revenues: $27,497,229, Total Indebtedness: $7,103,315.

Williamson – Population: 230, EAV $1,195,460, Total Employees: 8, Total Expenditures: $31,843, Total Revenues $54,915. (No indebtedness listed.)

Wood River – Population: 10,657, EAV: $118,323,541, Total Employees: 189, Total Expenditures: $17,249,211, Total Revenues: $18,378,551, Total Indebtedness: $8,031,966.

Worden – Population: 1,044, EAV: $12,842,541, Total Employees: 7, Total Expenditures: $884,966, Total Revenues: $861,958, Total Indebtedness: $804,786.

—– Nearly a third of Metro East towns report deficits  —-