Glendale Heights board approves $79.4 million FY 2025-26 budget, OKs nonunion pay plan

The Village of Glendale Heights Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved the fiscal year 2025–26 budget and a nonunion pay plan after a detailed presentation by village staff on revenue estimates, proposed tax rate changes and capital projects.

Bill Polling, a village staff member who presented the budget, said total revenues across all funds are estimated at $82.5 million and total expenses at $79.4 million for FY 2025–26. Polling said the village projects a general fund balance of $22.7 million at the close of FY 2024–25 and is proposing to use $1.2 million of that balance to pledge toward the Simons Park project.

The board heard that the tentative DuPage County levy rate declined to 0.83 per $100 of equalized assessed value from 0.89, a 5.5% decrease. Staff proposed several tax changes to offset revenue shortfalls and to fund operations: a 0.25 percentage-point increase in the home-rule sales tax to take effect Oct. 1, 2025, estimated to generate roughly $500,000 for the final six months of FY 2025–26; a 0.5 percentage-point increase to the food-and-beverage tax effective June 1, 2025, estimated to raise about $350,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year; and a potential 1% local grocery tax if the state…