Tinley Park holds public hearing on fiscal 2026 budget amid questions on Harmony Square, staffing and land buys

Tinley Park opened a public hearing May 1 on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, during which a resident raised questions about Harmony Square facilities, staffing increases and bond borrowing while finance staff outlined a roughly $3.9 million shortfall in the general fund and described planned capital and personnel requests.

At the hearing, Diane Galanti, a Tinley Park resident, said she was worried that public dollars were being used for an ice rink and broader Harmony Square costs and that long-term maintenance and pension obligations were underexplained. “My biggest concern is putting the ice rink back into this entire project,” Galanti said, adding later, “There’s $2,500,000 here in the manager’s office for land acquisitions. Like, what is that for now?”

Finance staff member Hannah (first name only in the record) told the board the village is facing a short-term gap in the general fund. “Our general fund is showing at about 3,900,000.0 in red,” Hannah said, and said staff had already reduced more than $1 million and planned further cuts before final adoption scheduled for May 29. She said the village intends to draw on reserve balances that remain above policy levels while working to reduce recurring expenditures.

Board and staff presentation: Hannah walked trustees through major funds, capital projects and personnel requests. She said most funds were in “pretty great shape” and that enterprise funds, including sewer, were moving back into the black. Capital items listed in the presentation included LPR phase 5, radio and antenna upgrades, fiber work, resurfacing at 175th and Ridgeland, a helipad project largely funded by a grant, downtown parking and continued work on Harmony Square.

Personnel requests prompted detailed discussion. Staff described a planned senior planner reclassification (from an associate planner), a midyear new building inspector to reduce reliance on third-party consultants, and several Harmony Square positions. Donna (first name only in the record) outlined Harmony Square seasonal staffing: “we’re estimating that we’re gonna need a pool of approximately 25 people” to act as skate guards on the venue’s synthetic ice at about $15 per hour. The village also proposed a 30–34 hour marketing coordinator for Harmony Square, additional special-event supervisory promotions and expanded videography hours to support tourism and business promotion.

Trustees asked for more specificity on personnel requests. One trustee said job memos read like job descriptions and asked for concrete examples of projects the senior planner has led. Staff acknowledged the promotion is a budgeting step rather than an immediate personnel action and said departments would supply more detailed cost breakdowns, including the full employment cost (benefits, pension and other employer obligations) when requests move forward.

Public-safety technology also received attention: trustees and staff noted many help-desk tickets originate from public-safety teams and expressed interest in a public-safety technology coordinator to address specialized vehicle and equipment needs.

Resident concerns and bond questions: In public comment, Galanti urged clearer public information on total project costs and said social media had circulated widely varying totals. She cited social-media figures of “$36,000,000 and somebody else is saying $54,000,000” and asked for a clearer repayment plan. A board member also described a recent land purchase—about 77 acres for roughly $1.4–$1.5 million—and projected future sales and property tax benefits, saying the acquisition could generate an estimated $50 million in sales and real-estate taxes (trustee comment as recorded by the board).

Board direction and next steps: Trustees and staff said they will continue refining the proposed budget over the next two weeks and that final adoption is planned for May 29. Trustees asked to improve long-range personnel and fleet planning, increase finance-committee oversight with regular budget-to-actual reports, and consider a ledger/funds rationalization project and targeted “micro audits” of specific line items. Several trustees praised staff work on the new financial software and the budget process while acknowledging further work is needed to reduce recurring costs.

Votes at a glance: The board voted to open and later to close the public hearing and adjourn the meeting. The motions carried on roll calls with all trustees voting yes for the recorded motions.

The board will reconvene its budget process over the coming weeks and return to the Village Board on May 29 for final budget adoption.