BLOOMINGTON -- The weeds have grown high and most of the construction is done at Fire Station No. 5, leaving the appearance of an abandoned building.

The contractor is finishing a few "punch list" items, and a date for staffing and operating the station remains on hold as the city continues to pare its budget, said City Manager David Hales.

Work started in April 2008 on the $3 million city-funded station, located at Six Points Road and a planned extension of Mitsubishi Motorway.

On Monday, the City Council will be asked to vote on a change order to waterproof concrete foundation blocks. It is the second change order for the station to come before the council in the last month.

Hales said the general fund budget -- which pays for most of the city's day-to-day operations -- will need to be cut by $2 million this year because sales and income tax revenue continues to drop. Hales said cuts to the fire department likely will not be among that $2 million, but will come into play for the 2010-2011 budget.

"We not only have Station 5 but also Station 6 to consider," Hales said. "There are questions about staffing and equipping the stations and how we are going to accomplish that, given the budget, being considered."

Hiring firefighters for stations 5 and 6 (at Central Illinois Regional Airport) was staggered as part of cuts to the current $77 million general fund budget. The move saved about $500,000; firefighters for the airport station haven't been hired.

Deputy Fire Chief Les Siron said construction delays at both stations also helped save money. The department has trucks and firefighters to equip and staff Station 5.

"We don't have possession of the building, yet," Siron said. "The contractor has not turned it over to us."

The delay in the opening does not pose a concern for fire coverage in the area, said Alderman David Sage, whose ward includes the fire station.

"We have adequate coverage from the Morris Avenue station, for now," Sage said. He added that if the delay in opening the station continues for a lengthy period, the issue will need to be reconsidered because of the growth in southwest Bloomington.

Construction on Station 6 began in December 2008 and it is expected to finish in May. The $5 million station will be next to the airport's control tower and is mostly funded by the Federal Aviation Administration.