"It was a very dark place," recalls Niles mayor Steve Mientkiewicz.

A decade ago, the city of Niles fell into fiscal chaos.

"We had somewhere like approximately $200,000 in the bank," said Mientkiewicz. "That was it."

Mientkiewicz served on city council at that time.

"We were faced with eliminating departments. We were faced with stripping out budgets and resources."

The state auditor's office stepped in to right the ship.
City leaders who didn't either leave office or end up in trouble because of the mess helped carve the path forward.
Now, the city is five years out of fiscal emergency.
There are $19 million in the general fund.

"We are very much more than solvent," says Mientkewicz, adding that the turnaround boiled down to responsibly budgeting the city the way you would budget your household.

"We don't have to go to city council often for additional appropriations," he said. "Everyone understands that we do have a budget and we need to live within our means."

Those means include the ability to be bonded and go after grant money.

"Whether it be our workforce, our fleet, our buildings, parks, infrastructure, we are in a place to make those necessary improvements," Mientkiewicz said.

Improvements that will get help from a half percent income tax voters agreed to and a parks levy they passed.
Ones that could've never happened on the shifting sands of a decade ago.

Mientkiewicz credited city auditor Giovanne Merlo for being so meticulous with the city's finances. Merlo told 21 News on the phone that the financial recovery included establishing new policies while reviewing others. He said departments are now budgeted for being nimble year over year - for example, if grant money is available one year but not the next.

The aforementioned income tax hike and parks levy demonstrated the trust built between voters and the administration, Merlo said.

Unions also made concessions during the financial recovery; all part of a collective effort between city departments and employees.