Comptroller says budget balanced after revenue cuts; aldermen press on spending and future state revenue declines

Sherry Ray, city comptroller, told the Quincy City Council the city is operating under a balanced budget after staff reduced projected revenues and adjusted spending to match.

"Currently, you guys know the current position we're in. We're operating under a balanced budget," Ray said. She said staff implemented a roughly $2,000,000 reduction in projected revenues and correspondingly cut about $2,384,000 in general fund expenditures to restore balance after the state delayed Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT) distributions the council had used in its prior projections.

The council’s finance discussion matters because the city’s shared-state revenue outlook affects planning for next fiscal year. Ray said the Illinois Municipal League projects PPRT could decline another 6%–7% next municipal year and advised the council to prioritize containment of expenditure growth while pursuing modest sales-tax gains.

Alderman Farha framed the issue as part of a broader dissatisfaction with long-running projects and fee increases. "It seems like a project from hell... I'm ashamed of it," Farha said during new-business remarks about ongoing construction. Farha also asked whether recent water-fee increases constituted taxes and whether the fiscal picture qualified as a crisis.

Ray responded by describing the city's bookkeeping and choices: staff reduced the revenue estimate after learning the state would not advance PPRT amounts that had been assumed when the budget was adopted, and then identified offsetting expenditure reductions to preserve balance.

Alderman Ryan praised the comptroller's action as proactive. "What Sherry had to do in that supplemental budget reduction was a very, very good thing to do," he said, adding that the adjustment helps right-size the current budget heading into next fiscal-year planning.

The council heard competing tones: Ray emphasized that the immediate position is balanced after the adjustments; several aldermen warned the council must control spending growth if state-shared revenues continue to fall. Ray recommended continued focus on sales-tax receipts and contained expenditure growth as the primary path to fiscal stability.

Council members also discussed next steps for the 2026 budget cycle and noted that revenue projections change frequently; Ray said staff will incorporate updated IML and state guidance into budget development.

The remarks took place during the council’s new-business and budget update discussion, where members asked detailed questions of the comptroller and referenced published projections for state shared revenues.

Looking ahead, council members asked staff to continue regular, detailed financial reporting to the council and to flag any material changes to state revenue flows or to city sales-tax trends.