Campton Hills trustees press for detail after auditors’ report and draft FY26 show deficit, higher police and legal costs

Trustees of the Village of Campton Hills reviewed the village's independent auditors' report and the draft fiscal year 2026 budget, focusing discussion on a reported $457,000 projected deficit and rises in police and legal spending.

The village treasurer said the auditors' independent opinion stated the financial statements "present fairly in all material respects," and that the village holds roughly $5,990,000 in cash across funds. The treasurer also pointed to the FY26 draft's bottom-line deficit of $457,000.

Trustees said they are concerned about the scale and clarity of recent legal bills and a large increase in the police operating budget. Several trustees asked staff for more granular backup showing projected year-end actuals, a line-by-line comparison of last year's budget versus this proposal, and a breakdown of legal spending by baseline administrative support, litigation contingency, and building/zoning matters.

Treasurer Tim (title in transcript: treasurer) told trustees the FY26 draft carried a proposed $457,000 deficit and said a data-entry error on an earlier revenue line will partially improve the variance. Trustees repeatedly asked that staff provide native spreadsheet files rather than PDFs so members and the public can trace how totals were calculated.

Discussion of police costs centered on the jump in the department's budget from the current-year budget figures cited in the packet (one comparison noted a proposed increase from roughly $1.71 million to $2.29 million). Chief Levan (identified in the meeting as the police chief) explained the department remains below the board-authorized patrol strength (the board has previously authorized 10 patrol officers; the department was reported to have eight full-time patrol officers at the time of the meeting) and said the draft budget reflects higher full-time staffing and market-rate pay to reduce overtime and improve retention. The chief noted recently sworn and incoming officers will not be solely available for independent street patrol until months after academy training and background checks are complete.

Trustees pressed for clarity on legal spending. The draft included $175,000 for legal services in the general administration line and additional legal totals in other lines; trustees said the aggregate number appeared large compared with prior years and requested that legal expenses be separated into categories they can more easily review (legislative/general counsel support, building/zoning work, and litigation/HR-related matters). Trustees also said the village attorney had proposed a lower figure than the one included in the draft.

At the meeting trustees directed staff to: (1) provide spreadsheets that show projected year-end actuals and the line-by-line derivation of the FY26 draft; (2) break legal spending into baseline counsel, building/zoning, and litigation/contingency lines; (3) supply clearer police staffing hour calculations used to build the FY26 request; and (4) continue the public hearing on the budget at the next scheduled public hearing(s) identified by the board. Staff said they will supply the requested backup before the board's next public hearing so trustees and the public can review it.

The board's discussion also flagged roads and capital needs as a separate but related concern: staff noted an intention to transfer unobligated fund balance toward four priority roads and that capital decisions will affect operating reserves and long-term strategy.

Trustees and staff agreed to reconvene the budget discussion with more detailed documents and projected actuals ahead of further public hearings this month.