Belt tightening with summer jobs in East, West Dundee
Finding work this summer may be a job in itself for teens and college students who are depending on cash-strapped Dundee Township villages for paychecks.
West Dundee leaders are cutting back. East Dundee trustees are cutting out and Carpentersville village board members will decide this week if they will again hire older seasonal employees to work in their public works department.
"It's tough," said T.J. Moore, East Dundee public works director. "We don't have the money. Usually, we hire three people to paint fire hydrants and work other jobs in public works, but we decided to save the money."
That decision will keep $20,000 in East Dundee's coffers and existing full-time employees doing the jobs.
Every year, West Dundee hires four people who are at least 18 years old. This year, officials may hire only three, said Joe Cavallaro, village manager.
"To cut expenses in other areas, we'll be cutting back on contractual services we usually use in the summer," he said. "It's already been decided not to hire companies for landscaping services in the downtown area. The seasonal employees we hire are needed so our full-time workers can keep up with their duties."
Employees each earn about $7,000 for the season in West Dundee.
They earn a little more in Carpentersville, that is if any are hired, said Craig Anderson, village manager.
"The finance committee didn't include them in our budget this year, but we'll talk about it again (this week)," he said. "The people we hire are at least 18 years old and they help patch potholes, pave local streets and work in building maintenance."
Communities across the country are working with tight budgets and looking for ways to save money because their revenue from investments and sales tax is down. The recession is forcing residents to stay out of stores and hang onto the money they have because the ones who are still working may not have jobs tomorrow.
"Our sales takes revenue is flatlined," Anderson said.
Economists have predicted the bad financial outlook will continue through the rest of this year. More people are out of work than the nation has seen in decades. Instead of traveling on vacation this summer, people may spend the hot months in unemployment offices and in their own yards.
If that is the case, not all hopes of summer jobs will be dashed though for teens. The Dundee Township Park District, which runs summer camps and owns two public swimming pools and two golf courses, may need more employees than it hired last year, said Tom Mammoser, its executive director.
In the summer of 2008, the park district hired about 314 people, from age 14 through college. Many of them work as life guards, security guards and in the concession stand at the Dolphin Cove Aquatic Center, along Route 25 in Carpentersville. Others work at guards at Sleepy Hollow swimming pool and at the indoor pool at the district's recreation center. The Randall Oaks Park banquet facility will also need servers and dining room help.
If more jobs are available from the township's largest seasonal employer, they maybe filled quickly, said Helen Schumate, the park district's marketing coordinator.
"Many of the seasonal employees we hired last year, from 60 to 65 percent, have already said they want to come back and work here this year," she said. "It's tough for them to find other jobs, so they want to come back."