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Homer Glen board approves festival budget, development plat, pay estimate and social-media resolution; manager salary increased
Summary
At its regular meeting the Village Board approved the 2025 HomerFest budget, the Menard Lot 5 final plat, a large pay estimate for Heritage Park with retainage policy, several zoning text amendments including allowing body-piercing in commercial districts, decreases to class B liquor licenses, payment of October legal bills, adoption of Resolution 24-019 on official social-media channels, and a contractually authorized base salary increase for the village manager.
Homer Glen’s Village Board approved a package of ordinances, budget items and policy changes at its most recent meeting.
Votes at a glance
- HomerFest 2025 budget: Board approved a 2025 Homer Community Festival budget that trustees described as derived from last year’s budget plus a 3% CPI adjustment. Trustees emphasized the fest typically operates near break-even; the packet and discussion included inconsistent figures in the record, but the board approved the budget as presented.
- Menard Subdivision Lot 5 (case HG2301PUD): Board approved final plat and re-subdivision for Lot 5 in the Menard Subdivision, confirming prior approvals and staff review.
- Heritage Park parking expansion — Pay Estimate No. 3: Board approved pay estimate No. 3 to DDD Construction for $738,789.23. Director Brett Westcott explained retainage practice: the village will approve the estimate but retain a portion (retention noted in discussion as roughly $207,173.09) and will not release final retainage until substantial completion and warranty periods are satisfied.
- Old Oak development letter of credit: Board voted to reduce the LOC to $205,257.37 and move the project into a two-year maintenance period in accordance with village code.
- Zoning text amendments: Board approved text changes to allow body-piercing establishments in C2 and C3 districts (subject to special-use permits) and amendments to temporary-sign regulations and certain building department fees to reinstate limits and simplify monitoring.
- Liquor licenses: Board decreased the number of class B liquor licenses by two following the closures of Chili's and Orient Cafe; trustees noted these licenses are nontransferable.
- Legal bills: Board approved payment of October legal invoices from Peterson, Johnson & Murray totaling $24,148.91; trustees discussed major categories of legal work including the Illinois American Water matter and land acquisitions.
- Meeting calendar: Board amended the 2025 meeting calendar (including removing the June 25 board meeting during HomerFest week and several committee date adjustments/cancellations).
- Resolution 24-019 — Official social-media sites: Trustees adopted Resolution 24-019 to designate the village's official social-media channels and to state those channels will function primarily as one-way communications. The Village Attorney described the resolution as superseding any inconsistent SOP provisions and recommended staff update SOP 13 accordingly: "This is simply a one-way communication...there's not gonna be any posting or things of that nature that's gonna be responded to by the village," the attorney said.
- Village manager salary: Board approved an increase in the village manager’s base salary from $160,000 to $172,000 under the existing employment agreement; trustees cited market comparisons and retention as reasons for the adjustment.
Trustee and staff context
Trustees discussed fiscal prudence for event budgeting (Trustee Fialco described HomerFest as largely break-even and supported a modest inflation adjustment), standard contracting practices and retainage for public-works projects (Director Westcott explained pay estimate accounting and retainage policy), and the legal rationale for the social-media resolution (Village Attorney explained how the resolution would control in case of conflicts with current SOP language).
What happens next: staff will implement the board actions, process the pay estimate payment while retaining contract retainage until completion, update SOP 13 to conform with Resolution 24-019, and continue follow-up on outstanding enforcement or permit matters identified during the meeting.
