After a lengthy discussion, strong words and stern promises by the Riverside Village Board, the 2009 proposed budget almost did not earn a spot on the Dec. 15 agenda, where its adoption will be up for a vote.

A discussion during Monday night’s meeting lasting nearly 90 minutes revealed one thing — no board member was overly enthused with the proposed budget. The meeting was intended to allow residents to discuss the proposed budget; however, few residents were in attendance to speak.

Board members were split down the middle over the possibility of doing away with the recreation department.

Trustee Candice Grace was firmly against the possible budget for 2009, saying that keeping the recreation department and the museum director was a mistake. She said she doesn’t believe the museum can be prosperous on its own.

“We should have done away with the rec,” she said. “This budget does not solve our underlying problem.”

Trustees Thomas Shields and John Scully agreed with Grace, and said they do not believe the recreation department or the museum will be self-sufficient by the end of 2009.

“If by 2009 the rec and museum don’t have a flat approach, meaning cover their own expenses, if it fails, we will cut it in 2010,” Scully said. “I will cut that in 2010.”

Trustees Benjamin Sells and Kevin Smith believe the recreation department will succeed and be self-sufficient by 2010 and were adamant to keep it in the budget. Smith said the board has done more than expected with cuts and believes every cut needed for a surplus budget in the future cannot be accomplished in one year.

“The goal on Sept. 9 was $400,000 in cuts; we come here today and we cut more than we thought we were going to cut and now you’re stomping your little foot saying that is not enough,” Smith said.

President Jack Wiaduck agreed with Sells and Smith by saying the board has come up with a short-term solution and this budget absolutely does not solve the long-term problem.

“It is going to get harder and harder; this slicing and dicing has been going on for a long, long time,” Wiaduck said. “We have been going down, down, down and it is starting to show and it will show even more.”

The first vote taken was split down the middle with three yes votes and three nos. Wiaduck voted and Trustee Jean Sussman was absent. Unless a board member was willing to change their vote, the motion to put the proposed budget on the Dec. 15 agenda failed.

Scully said after the vote he would change his position if the recreation department and the art fair were cut — to which no trustee who voted yes was willing to agree.

After much continued debate, the motion was voted on a second time and Scully changed his vote to yes, which passed the motion to place the proposed agenda on the next board meeting’s agenda.