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Lake Bluff finance committee details vehicle/equipment fund, capital plan as stormwater and bridge projects loom
Summary
The Lake Bluff finance committee on March 10 reviewed the vehicle equipment replacement fund, several one-time technology and public-safety purchases, and a multi-year capital improvement plan that includes a $500,000 transfer from the general fund and projects dependent on state, county and grant funding.
Lake Bluff — The village finance committee on March 10 reviewed the vehicle equipment replacement fund, detailed several technology and public-safety equipment needs and reviewed a multi-year capital improvement plan that includes an anticipated $500,000 general-fund transfer and a mix of local, county and potential grant funding.
Committee members heard that the VERF includes recurring purchases — such as the annual squad car — and a set of larger, less frequent expenses this year: virtualization of the phone system, migration to Microsoft 365, a cloud upgrade for the village financial software, network switches, ZOLL monitor replacement for the fire department, and an upgrade to the public-safety center access control system.
“The big one that’s kind of the obvious spike is the fire apparatus,” said Drew (village staff member), noting that market prices have risen post-COVID and current lead times for new apparatus can be three to five years. He said the village is working with the fire department to “identify a realistic plan” and is saving in the VERF as a placeholder while staff considers financing options and possible regional arrangements similar to a past joint purchase with the City of Lake Forest.
The committee reviewed the village’s capital improvement plan (CIP) packet, which staff said includes a $500,000 transfer from the general fund. The CIP lists projects that staff and the village engineer, Jeff (village engineer), have rated using an internal weighting system and includes the Green Bay Road reconstruction, sanitary sewer improvements, Bluff Road ravine stabilization and waterfront/street repairs. Staff warned that some projects rely on external funding commitments.
“We’ve been having conversations with our partners,” Jeff said, describing outreach to IDOT and the state on several highway and resurfacing projects. Staff reported an expectation — not a guarantee — that previously awarded funds would remain available for projects already in the state pipeline, but said some larger projects are still contingent on grant awards or reimbursements.
Stormwater trunk work was a focal point: staff said about $3.9 million is planned up front, of which roughly $2.4 million would be reimbursed by the county and $1.5 million would remain the village’s permanent share; the village manager said the reimbursement agreement is under review and will be brought to the board for approval.
Committee members emphasized maintaining policy thresholds for the general fund and noted the capital fund is intended to smooth large, multi-year expenditures. Members also discussed prioritizing repairs to the public-facing Block 1 downtown area and the possibility of using grants to reduce the village share of improvements.
What’s next: staff will continue to refine project scopes and funding assumptions, pursue grant applications (including a federal PROTECT grant for stormwater), and present updated budget transfers and agreements to the full board.
Ending: The finance committee recommended the budget as reviewed for referral to the village board; the committee’s vote to forward the budget passed by voice vote.
