Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Amendment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DeKalb Council amends 2024 budget to cover transportation overages, transfers $1.5M from general-fund surplus
Summary
Council approved amendments to the fiscal 2024 budget to transfer up to $1.5 million from general-fund surplus to cover higher-than-anticipated local shares for state-assisted bridge and road projects and related engineering costs resulting from utility delays and higher bids.
The DeKalb City Council on April 28 approved an amendment to the fiscal 2024 budget that includes transferring up to $1.5 million from the general-fund surplus to cover overruns and higher local shares on recent transportation projects.
Background and need: City staff told the council that delays from utilities and higher-than-expected bid results increased local project costs for two bridge projects and the Peace Road widening. Utility coordination delays—requests for relocations and responses from ComEd and Frontier—forced contractors into intermittent work patterns and higher engineering and construction expenses.
Funds and accounting: City Manager Nicholas said the city ended fiscal 2024 with a larger-than-expected general-fund surplus (about $5.56 million realized vs. an earlier estimate of $1.9 million). He proposed a one-time transfer of $1.5 million from that surplus to the motor-fuel-tax fund (Fund 210) and related capital accounts to cover additional costs so the city can pay invoices when the state sends reimbursement requests. "We have the difference... the 1.5 comes from that," Nicholas said.
Legal and reimbursement outlook: Staff said the city has filed appeals and inquiries with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) seeking additional reimbursement for some construction overages, but that any recovery could take time and might not cover the full amount. Council members noted the projects yield tangible improvements and that proceeding preserved state funding that otherwise could have been lost.
Action: A motion to bring the ordinance amendment to the floor was moved by Alderman Powell and seconded by Alderman Verbic; the council approved the budget amendment by roll call vote and later waived second reading for the ordinance.
What the council did not do: The council did not reallocate ongoing operational budget lines or raise taxes; this amendment used one-time surplus funds to address project liabilities.
Next steps: Staff will pursue reimbursement with IDOT, seek utility cost recovery where possible, and report any recovered funds back to council; the city will monitor remaining surplus and capital needs.
