Roselle trustees review 2026 ‘maintenance’ budget; agree to pursue streaming tax, higher video‑gaming fee and use reserves instead of extra property tax

Village of Roselle officials on the first public hearing for the fiscal 2026 budget presented a maintenance‑style plan that would rely on a mix of one‑time and recurring revenues to close an identified roughly $250,000 gap in the general fund.

"The budget does kinda require some difficult decisions by the board to maintain services and meet your strategic goals," said Jason Bialowski, the village administrator, as he opened the presentation. Bialowski said staff used a strategic approach focused on organizational efficiency and noted the proposed plan includes no new programs or additional headcount.

Why it matters: trustees heard that personnel costs — wages, health insurance and pension obligations — drive most of the year‑over‑year increase. Staff said the proposed budget would rely in part on expanded local revenue streams rather than deep cuts to services and that those choices will affect core operations such as police, fire and public works.

Key numbers and assumptions - Staff reported about a $980,000 (roughly 4%) increase in total expenditures from the 2025 adopted budget to the 2026 proposal, with about 80% of that increase attributable to nondiscretionary personnel‑related costs. The village general‑fund balance is projected to fall from about 45% to 43% under the current proposal. - The 2025 year‑end estimate shows a small…