Cunningham Township amends FY2024–25 budget, adopts FY2025–26 budget and approves related measures

Cunningham Township Board members in Urbana approved an amended fiscal 2024–25 budget and adopted a fiscal 2025–26 budget during a meeting that also cleared a month-to-month lease for an intern office and an internship memorandum of understanding.

The board approved ordinance T202508001, the amended FY2024–25 annual budget and appropriation ordinance, and ordinance T202508002, the FY2025–26 annual budget and appropriation ordinance. Both measures passed on roll-call votes of trustees present. The meeting included a report from township staff describing new and unanticipated grant revenue, planned program expansions and capital plans tied to office consolidation and service growth.

Why it matters: the budgets fund the township’s shelter and rental-assistance programs, expand case-management and workforce services, and earmark funds for a potential office acquisition and renovations. Officials said the additional grant income enabled program expansion in the current year and underpins planned spending for the coming year.

Township finance and program highlights Danielle Chenoweth, Supervisor, and Nicole Filia, finance director, told trustees that unanticipated and higher-than-expected grant awards and reallocations drove the need for an amended FY2024–25 budget. For the past two months the township reported the following expenditures: town-fund July expenditures of $53,663.90 and general-assistance (GA) fund July expenditures of $228,917.99 (total July $282,581.89); town-fund August expenditures of $52,904.46 and GA fund August expenditures of $244,321 (total August $297,925.46).

Staff said several grant awards and reallocated funds increased revenue and spending this year. Among the items cited: additional ARPA funding used for street outreach; a new $25,000 Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) grant; an allocation of about $38,000 from HOME-related funds described in the meeting as “HOME RH”; a township grant that contributed about $150,000 to winter shelter operations; and an unsolicited Urbana Sun grant described in the meeting as $618,700. The township also reported receipt of approximately $400,000 under a housing-authority memorandum of understanding that must be spent by year end; staff said those funds will support family-shelter expansion and rental assistance.

Supervisor Chenoweth said the housing-authority MOU will allow the township to expand family shelter by eight units and to increase rental assistance for roughly 40 households; staff additionally cited capacity to take 10 workforce-development participants into shelter. The township reported a current wait list of 22 families for housing assistance.

For FY2025–26, staff described a larger work plan: an office relocation and consolidation estimated at up to $2.4 million for acquisition, renovation and moving costs; an allocation of $500,000 in Illinois DCEO funds with a further $200,000 pledged; investments in a single case-management system to reduce duplicate entry; roof and foundation repairs at 205 West Green Street; and a modest vehicle replacement (a hybrid work vehicle). Program budgets anticipate an expanded workforce-development program serving about 20 participants in year-long internships of roughly 20 hours per week, and an increase in help-desk service hours at the Banner Free Library from two days a week to four.

Staff noted concerns about federal program changes outside township control: LIHEAP (fuel/utility assistance) is expected to open for limited use in October; SNAP (food benefits) reductions have not yet taken effect but staff reported heightened demand at local food pantries and expressed concern about potential service gaps.

Health insurance and operating costs Trustees asked about rising health-insurance costs. Filia and Chenoweth said the FY2025–26 budget assumes a 10 percent increase in premiums, a figure they described as consistent with peer agencies; staff said they have introduced measures to manage costs, including enrollment incentives and use of part-time staff and interns who do not receive township-provided insurance.

Other business and votes at a glance - Minutes: trustees approved minutes from June 16, 2025 (motion moved by Grama and seconded by Jaya). - Bills: trustees approved the town-fund and GA fund bills for July and August (roll call: trustees present voted yes). - Closed session: trustees voted to enter closed session under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) to discuss property purchase. - Lease: trustees approved resolution T202509016R authorizing the supervisor to sign a month-to-month lease with New Lincoln Square LLC for a 110-square-foot office for interns. - MOU: trustees approved resolution T202509017R authorizing the supervisor to sign a memorandum of understanding with Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota for a master-of-social-work internship placement.

All recorded roll calls for ordinances and resolutions in the meeting showed affirmative votes from the trustees present. Where a mover and seconder were stated on the record, the meeting minutes show them (for example, the FY2024–25 amended budget was moved by Grace and seconded by Jaya).

What trustees said and next steps Supervisor Danielle Chenoweth told trustees she will return with any required line-item transfers if further ETH or other grant dollars are allocated to the township after adoption. Staff said the housing-authority funds must be spent by year end and that the township will apply for a share of an IDHS winter-shelter allocation recently announced at the state level.

The board did not set a new public deadline for the office-relocation decision; staff said they will continue fundraising and refine cost estimates. Trustees will receive further financial detail and program metrics at future township meetings.