Will County finance committee backs 1.75% levy framework, amends levies and forwards budget to full board

The Will County Finance Committee on Thursday recommended a compromise 1.75% levy framework and approved a package of amended levy dollar amounts and budget changes to send to the full county board.

County Board Speaker Van Dine offered the 1.75% proposal as a compromise after members split between keeping a 0% increase and moving to 2%. Van Dine pledged to cut $50,000 from the county board budget as part of his proposal and urged the committee to adopt dollar figures reflecting the 1.75% levy. "My request would ask for a motion from someone for this board to, accept a 1.75% levy," he said.

Members debated both process and substance for more than an hour. Several members pressed that the finance committee or department heads produce explicit line-item cuts before finalizing a levy. Member David noted that assessed valuations had risen and said a lower levy percentage does not automatically translate to lower taxes at the household level: "The taxes increase on my property in Lockport went up $56. ... Just because we lower a levy doesn't mean the cost went down in this situation." Staff and legal counsel clarified that when the committee moves from an estimated percentage to a final levy it must adopt specific dollar amounts by fund for truth-in-taxation purposes.

After a brief recess so staff could print the 1.75% dollar worksheet, the committee voted on individual levies and amendments. Key changes approved included:

- Corporate fund (Resolution 25-335): amended to $108,814,654 and approved by roll call (Yes: Trainier, Winfrey, Newquist; No: Berkowitz, Oxley). - FICA (Resolution 25-337): approved at $7,800,000. - IMRF (Resolution 25-338): revised downward to $14,200,000 per the state formula and approved. - Toward-immunity levy (Resolution 25-339): amended to $5,100,000 and approved. - Worker's compensation levy: amended to $4,100,000 and approved. - TB sanitarium levy: retained at the prior year's dollar amount after staff said operational efficiencies covered costs; motion carried. - Health department levy (Resolution 25-3342): amended to $12,000,000 and approved. - County highway levy (Resolution 25-3343): amended to $8,215,857 and approved. - County bridge levy (Resolution 25-3344): passed at the agenda amount of $626,000. - Federal aid matching levy (Resolution 25-3345): passed at the agenda amount (presented as $55,000.089 in packet). - Community Mental Health Board levy (Resolution 25-3346): passed at the committee-recommended amount (discussed as $10,000,000).

In budget deliberations, the committee approved a procedural amendment to reduce a $1,000,000 cannabis-fund line for the health department to $0 and to move $1,000,000 in cash-on-hand into the tort immunity fund. Staff described the reallocation as a bookkeeping step to align the budget with the new levy numbers while preserving overall budget balance for presentation to the full board. The amendment passed on roll call (Yeas: Trainier, Winfrey, Newquist; Nays: Berkowitz, Huxley).

Chair Newquist said the package — the amended levies and the budget changes — will be forwarded to the full county board for final approval. Several members said they expect additional line-item adjustments on the floor of the county board, and Van Dine said he would meet with the county executive and finance staff to identify the specific cuts needed to make the 1.75% framework balanced.

What happens next: The full Will County Board will receive the amended levy and budget package for final consideration; members noted the possibility of additional amendments at the board meeting.

Sources and attribution: Quotes and figures in this story are drawn from committee proceedings and roll-call votes during the finance committee meeting.