[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6128129,"mediaKeyId","5751722-cd0d450710c6067289bc027611e9e550","parentId",5751722,"title","Budget includes $10,000 line for police first‑time home‑buyer incentive, comptroller says","audioSeconds",53,"startMs",1553000,"endMs",1606000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5751722-cd0d450710c6067289bc027611e9e550&start=1553&end=1606","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5751722-cd0d450710c6067289bc027611e9e550/thumbnail_1553000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6128129/Kankakee-City/Kankakee-County/Illinois/Budget-includes-10000-line-for-police-firsttime-homebuyer-incentive-comptroller-says","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6128129-454abe7cb3a677a5486a0a28b704e353/orig.mp4?Expires=1775392099&Signature=Hh3WiIoodqGOKqMvimbe3qHNFZXIsN5Vrsj3WJ4gyuaoFaAvCdTduovZlxRvkwpKER7-nje1VNkxMcxLKEqyTSD-pxBVoe7pavN7BR3GovwwtdMCTig0GlQ594WV3TBcJgULGLRMV~Q1IxaF6kizr4brTEvcaB0k7hnOBQbggot3kkPZ8ZligrYsMJbz0-QvCRDuFSNlePTD3nYNRW8av6xPsuBlnqEhXVif6PpfVPy-lv5P0-tyoipmKm7R8FZXbH0w4ccv69x5-~6mSQI6ABrVH1GbVMQb7JwOaqJgmn8U07gjcE0vjFEQb7J85q1UJoc2rGNWnr~hVJmRLwG0bA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kankakee City, IL","date","2025-09-09T23:02:51Z","article","KANKAKEE, Ill. — During the Sept. 8 Budget Committee meeting, Alderman Melvin Marzak asked whether a $10,000 line (listed on the packet as a home‑buyer incentive) represented a new program. Comptroller Rogers said the amount is part of the police contract: if an officer who is a first‑time home buyer purchases within the city, the city “will give them a $10,000 or a $5,000 amount towards the down payment on their house,” and the budget includes $10,000 assuming one or two applicants this year.

Rogers clarified that the line is directed at police officers, not the general public. She also noted that ESU employees can receive down‑payment assistance of $2,500 through ESU‑administered support; that $2,500 program would not appear in the city packet. Alderman Marzak’s question and Rogers’ response occurred during the comptroller’s financial‑report discussion; committee members did not vote on the program itself during the Sept. 8 meeting.

The committee did not adopt new eligibility criteria or an implementing motion at the meeting; Rogers described the line as a budgeted amount anticipating likely usage tied to the police contract.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Kankakee - Budget Committee Livestream","oneSentenceSummary","Alderman Melvin Marzak asked about a $10,000 budget line tagged for a home‑buyer incentive; Comptroller Rogers said the amount is tied to the police contract for first‑time buyers who purchase within city limits and that ESU employees have a separate $2,500 assistance program.","taxTitle","Kankakee City, Kankakee County, Illinois","taxId",4543,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6128134,"Comptroller: Kankakee’s August financials broadly on track; reserves and ARPA spending highlighted",580,954000,1534000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5751722-cd0d450710c6067289bc027611e9e550&start=954&end=1534","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5751722-cd0d450710c6067289bc027611e9e550/thumbnail_954000.jpg","/articles/6128134/Kankakee-City/Kankakee-County/Illinois/Comptroller-Kankakees-August-financials-broadly-on-track-reserves-and-ARPA-spending-highlighted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6128134-2b02486389a70e3bba878e6e47c9f0a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775392099&Signature=EUphgaw6P5c3HMEekO1T~9VlWqD4JutslqUSR1W6cGbJMqRjfqJSna1KasdDvpcVATYNRJ89efB-txoCH-1JPgdMPVp6TFm~PVHbLRWDISuSqHA-KdY9T~1DGa48y9~mpcdR9DAMiV-KIi~WoqxNNNmM-wB5BlyoW3k-hLWQjDl15y1xphyJp2mW6ztD4ZTuSvUOLa7iCGCjcy~R7c~NyVPAujUuNi5mIX0BzHFJgRypCn72pf1MHRmfs~IXuhCOyy6j7h7XCh6oRMjrhGri0-~0HxdCiU~OfPrnQhQueG69WR190o53dxdHnwaRP-1HWtYGNkOjdC9uVSIotqDUUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","KANKAKEE, Ill. — Comptroller Rogers told the City of Kankakee Budget Committee on Sept. 8 that preliminary August 2025 financial statements are “very rough interim financials” but broadly in line with budget expectations.

Rogers said the city is about four months into the fiscal year and should be roughly 33% through the budget. She flagged licensing revenues as below expectations because of timing: many license fees are due either early or late in the year. Grants and service charges also showed timing variance, while property tax second‑distribution receipts have been received.

On expenditures, Rogers said most departments remain within budget. Some line items appeared high because of timing: police and fire pension payments and a police‑training revenue offset made an ammunition-and-supplies line show a temporary negative balance. Salary increases paid earlier this fiscal year pushed total expenditures slightly above the month’s baseline; total expenditures were reported at about 36.44% through the year in the interim statement.

Rogers said the city has increased funds set aside in the city reserve account to meet a previously established goal set in 2022 to raise reserves from approximately $3.4 million to $10 million. She said that the city’s liquidity and reserves were a key factor cited by the rating agency when upgrading Kankakee’s bond rating.

Rogers also reviewed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending: the packet shows a total ARPA allocation of about $15 million, $13.2 million expended and roughly $1.8 million remaining in open projects. She said Illinois Funds continues to perform well for the city and that the city realized more than $1 million in interest income last year and has budgeted about $1 million this year.

Rogers concluded that cash balances remain strong and that the city has moved capital funds into the capital account in advance of expected invoices. Committee members did not take formal action on the financial report during the Sept. 8 meeting; the committee approved the minutes for the prior meeting during the session.","Comptroller Rogers told the Budget Committee on Sept. 8 that preliminary August financial statements show revenues and expenditures generally in line with expectations, noted timing variances for licenses and grants, reported increased city reserves to meet a goal set in 2022, and said about $1.8 million remains unspent in ARPA allocations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6128140,"Kankakee bond rating rises; city may go to market this week or next",92,405000,497000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5751722-cd0d450710c6067289bc027611e9e550&start=405&end=497","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5751722-cd0d450710c6067289bc027611e9e550/thumbnail_405000.jpg","/articles/6128140/Kankakee-City/Kankakee-County/Illinois/Kankakee-bond-rating-rises-city-may-go-to-market-this-week-or-next","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6128140-97ca034fb2758b489cc2ee8ed84166ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1775392099&Signature=Mna1J3MoMfMbFdeTn55TnXuxxDCOTFQS3x8GjULG9N~UX6PXX4XbJA32A66GOY7P-iqt6vVMamzT5ne6XrvYzmMWmaIoX6YQHP0prYuqFfaKtmhaFD0KOUYN2RwNfsKUmIckANgFSzln0oVWZu6QhLAuMUVc6lUHNQsIDpmvioixazuRgVAWjA0Nvb7Gv8uhO8hhuEFW6-BIpX-rj4DoCkldl5dTiJY4M6LrRvs40sgPx1lbmfDL-H3X59VI9toKOfzD4Ztf9V9KNFnAryDrTKgXPYTwfhXr3xeNmBRoToTuUIIia54q6GkQYFxX9~BGQ~9TdWJPuIClOSVFmTDKKg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","KANKAKEE, Ill. — City officials told the Budget Committee on Sept. 8 that Kankakee’s bond rating has been upgraded to A‑minus (stable) and the city is preparing to market a bond sale either Thursday, Sept. 11, or Tuesday, Sept. 16. Mayor (name not stated) said the rating move returns the city “back into the A’s” and called the change “positive news.”

The upgrade could reduce borrowing costs for the planned general‑obligation sale. Officials reported that bond insurance on the ESU bonds was priced at 0.45 and that performance targets had been set at 0.65 basis points; a 20‑year general‑obligation low bid came in at 0.64. “They’re either going to market on Thursday, the eleventh, or they’ll be going on the sixteenth,” the mayor said, and added the city would know whether to proceed “tomorrow morning.”

Committee members and staff described the timing as market‑dependent: interest rates had “creeped down just a bit,” and staff said they were monitoring rates before deciding to issue. No formal action or vote was taken during the meeting; officials said staff would confirm the go/no‑go decision the morning after the meeting.

The mayor and staff said the city also bought required bond insurance and that incoming pricing should yield some savings versus the budgeted performance assumptions. Officials did not state a final par amount for the sale during the discussion.

Next steps: staff will decide whether to take the bonds to market on Sept. 11 or on Sept. 16 and report back to the committee. No motion or vote was recorded on the issuance during the Sept. 8 meeting.","City officials told the budget committee on Sept. 8 that Kankakee’s bond rating was upgraded to A‑minus (stable). Officials said bond insurance and initial bids came in below performance targets and a decision on whether to sell bonds will be made tomorrow; the sale is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 11 or Sept. 16.","actionData","errors"]

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Budget includes $10,000 line for police first‑time home‑buyer incentive, comptroller says

Comptroller: Kankakee’s August financials broadly on track; reserves and ARPA spending highlighted

Kankakee bond rating rises; city may go to market this week or next