Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Illinois Tollway presents balanced tentative 2026 budget with $1.79 billion in revenue
Summary
Chief Financial Officer Kathy Williams presented a tentative 2026 budget projecting $1.786 billion in total revenue, directing roughly 74% toward infrastructure and proposing a $468 million operating budget. The board approved placing the tentative budget on the October agenda and scheduled two public hearings for November.
Kathy Williams, Chief Financial Officer of the Illinois Tollway, presented the authority's tentative 2026 budget on Oct. 22, proposing total revenue of about $1.786 billion and an operating budget of $468 million.
The budget allocates roughly 74% of projected revenue to infrastructure investments, including $736 million for capital accounts and a $264 million deposit into the renewal and replacement account, Williams said. The plan assumes a 2.7% increase over the 2025 forecast and a 3.8% rise over the 2025 budget, with parking for public comment and final adoption in December. Williams said revenue estimates rely on traffic projections from CDM Smith and include a 4.054% CPI-based commercial vehicle rate increase for 2026.
During the presentation, Williams highlighted that the operating budget is modestly lower than 2025 by about 0.6% and emphasized investments in customer service technology, rolling maintenance, roadway staffing and safety training. She said the capital program for 2026 is expected to total about $1.26 billion, including system expansion projects and replacement work across the network.
The board and finance committee motions to place the tentative budget on the October board agenda were approved. Williams and the executive office noted two public hearings to solicit comment: Nov. 17 at Schaumburg Central Library at 6 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. at Tollway headquarters, with written and online submissions accepted through Nov. 21.
