SYCAMORE | Sycamore’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 includes some significant changes from the previous budget.

The police department is slated to receive about $100,000 more than it was last year. New facilities are being constructed for the police department and it is well worth it, said police chief Don Thomas.

“We will be proud of the new facility,” Thomas said. “It will be the shining beacon on the hill, so to speak.”

The fire pension fund is another department that has been on a steady incline over the past couple years. The FY2012 budget calls for about $400,000 more than the FY2011 budget, which can be attributed mainly to injuries outside the department’s control, said fire chief Bill Riddle.

“By avoiding these injuries and practicing proper safety techniques, we should see an improvement in this area,” Riddle said.

There is also an increase in capital funds of almost $50,000 in the public buildings fund, according to the budget. This fund was created in 2002 for the purpose of financing operating and maintenance costs for the Sycamore Center.

Maintenance needing to be done on the center includes a new roof and some interior remodeling, said City Manager Bill Nicklas.

Nicklas said the city will receive some relief when the 1994 and the 1995 Environmental Protection Agency loans are finally paid off.

The 1994 EPA loan in the amount of $7.8 million provided the resources to build the facility at the North Treatment Plant and funded the related reconstruction of the collection system. This loan will be paid off in 2014, according to the budget.

The 1995 EPA loan, worth $2.815 million, was used to close the Electric Park treatment facility and re-route the sewage flow to the north treatment plant. The 1995 EPA loan will be paid off in 2015.

“A significant amount should be available within the next couple of years,” Nicklas said.