Roselle trustees review maintenance budget for 2026; move to expand streaming tax and raise gaming fees, opt to draw on reserves

Village Administrator Jason Bialowski and Finance Director Tom Dahl presented the Village of Roselle’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget at a public hearing, characterizing it as a maintenance plan that increases expenditures by about $980,000 (roughly 4%) over the 2025 budget and relies on a mix of one‑time and recurring revenues.

“The budget does kinda require some difficult decisions, by the board to maintain services and meet your strategic goals,” Bialowski said as he opened the presentation and walked trustees through a scorecard of post‑packet changes.

Staff highlighted five strategic priorities that guided preparation — fiscal stewardship, focused redevelopment, reliable infrastructure, operational sustainability and customer experience — and outlined fund highlights. The general fund plan projects a fund‑balance decline from about 45% to 43% and shows much of the year‑over‑year increase driven by nondiscretionary personnel costs, health insurance and pension obligations. Staff told trustees roughly 50% of property‑tax revenue is being devoted to public‑safety and IMRF pension obligations.

Water and sewer operating funds were presented as maintenance budgets as well; staff noted anticipated DuPage Water Commission rate increases that…