Orland Park trustees adopted the fiscal year 2026 budget and approved the 2025 property tax levy after extensive staff presentations and trustee questions about staffing, benefits and long-range capital planning.

Village staff presented the budget as a balanced plan that prioritizes public safety. Key components include eight new sworn police officers, implementation of 12-hour shifts beginning Feb. 1, increased traffic enforcement, expansion of emergency management from an all-volunteer ESDA to a paid on-call model, and creation of positions for engineering, a development project advocate and a content/website specialist. Staff said the budget preserves a general fund balance target of 41.5%, above the village policy of 20%.

Trustees probed assumptions on personnel costs, group insurance savings tied to an intergovernmental benefits cooperative, investment income projections, and how capital improvements will be phased. Trustee Healy and others expressed concern about the pace of new hires and long-term pension and benefit obligations; supporters said the village's capital growth and added facilities (for example, Centennial Park West and the police training center) require expanded maintenance and operating staff.

On taxes, staff said the proposed levy does not introduce new property taxes and that the village's property-tax rate is projected to remain relatively stable because assessed valuation growth absorbs much of the change. The board adopted the levy ordinance (total village levy $13,669,063; library levy $7,379,985; total $21,049,048) on roll call.

Other budget-related votes included adopting pay ranges and a salary administration schedule for nonrepresented employees. Trustees asked staff to prioritize a service delivery review, a comp-plan update, and additional financial simulations to prepare for possible economic downturns.

The budget and levy were approved by majority roll calls; staff will return with performance metrics and the results of the planned organizational and service-delivery reviews.