La Grange Park board adopts 2025-26 budget, advances sewer and road projects
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Summary
The Village of La Grange Park unanimously approved the fiscal year 2025-26 operating budget, a five-year plan and amendments to the current year budget, including a $2 million transfer to the sewer fund and accelerated water-main engineering for Homestead Road.
The Village of La Grange Park Board of Trustees on April 22 unanimously adopted the fiscal year 2025-26 operating budget and a five-year plan, and approved amendments to the current fiscal year budget that include a $2,000,000 transfer from the general fund to the sewer fund to support the Central Area sewer separation project.
The action caps several finance-committee meetings and a public hearing on the budget conducted in March and April. Trustee Lautner presented the finance report and moved to approve the ordinance adopting the 2025-26 budget; the motion passed by roll call with all trustees voting yes.
The approved budget incorporates several committee-recommended adjustments: $231,700 was added to the water fund for Homestead Road water-main engineering to coordinate work with the central-area sewer separation project; Park Road engineering costs were adjusted to enable construction before the 2025–26 school year; and a modest $13,800 increase was added across general, water and sewer funds to cover legal services based on updated billing data. The five-year plan was amended to move Homestead water-main work earlier in the schedule and to reflect construction timing changes intended to minimize repeated excavations.
Trustees discussed revenue trends and one-time changes. Finance figures presented by Trustee Lautner showed general fund revenue at roughly 96.3% of the annual budget year-to-date, with property-tax receipts up 2.5% and some declines in telecommunications and cable-franchise receipts. The village reported that permit-related receipts lagged prior-year levels due to large projects in 2024.
The board also approved amendments to the fiscal year 2024-25 budget, including a $2,000,000 transfer to the sewer fund, a $116,800 change to the motor fuel tax fund for Park Road design engineering moved forward, a $35,000 amendment for development consulting in the 301st Street/La Grange Road business district fund, a $384,000 amendment for the Newberry property purchase in the 301st Barnsdale business district fund, and a $35,000 amendment to the risk-management fund for higher insurance-pool contributions. Trustee Lautner moved the budget-amendment ordinance; it passed unanimously by roll call.
Board members credited village staff for preparing the budget and noted the village received a Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for the fiscal year 2024 comprehensive annual financial report, a recognition mentioned during the meeting.
The adopted budget and five-year plan will be published on the village website and distributed to the board and staff. Next steps include presenting project-specific engineering documents and putting construction work out to bid where required. Several capital projects referenced in the budget — including coordinated sewer separation and water-main work on Homestead Road and the Park Road improvements — are expected to move into design and, where noted, procurement in the coming months.
