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Joliet finance director previews 2026 operating budget, projects small surplus
Summary
Finance Director Kevin Singh told the pre-council meeting the draft 2026 operating budget converts a $5.3 million shortfall into a small surplus, highlighted $11.7–$11.8 million in sewer and water capital funding, projected $7 million in general-fund revenue gains and warned rising health-insurance costs remain a long-term pressure.
Kevin Singh, the City of Joliet’s director of finance, previewed the operating budget the city will consider in December, saying the draft closes an earlier $5.3 million gap and produces a small general-fund surplus.
"We had a $5,300,000 deficit, that we're able to work through to put it together as a surplus budget," Singh said during the Nov. 17 pre-council meeting. He said the city rolled out a new collaborative financial system this year that departments use directly to enter their requests and that the presentation format will look different than in prior years.
Singh told council members the budget shows roughly $7 million in additional general-fund revenue — including about $3 million in increased sales-tax receipts and an estimated $1.2 million share of state income-tax distributions — plus built-in increases for ambulance fees and building permits tied to local activity. Sewer and water operations, he said, show roughly $11.7–$11.8 million available for capital improvements such as mains, lift-station repairs and plant work.
On costs, Singh said health-insurance spending is the clearest pressure: in the projected 2026 numbers, insurance is nearing 17% of general-fund expenditures and, if current trends continue, could top 20% by 2030. He said the city has had productive conversations with unions and has added a limited number of positions focused on public safety and core services, including firefighter-paramedics and an accountant position for police so sworn officers can return to street duties.
Singh noted the general fund ended fiscal 2024 with about 5.5 months of expenses in reserve against a 6-month target and that one-time restricted development fees (about $7 million for a public-safety facility) are not included in available reserves. He said councilmembers will receive the budget and that the council will hold a tax-levy hearing Dec. 2 and a budget-adoption vote on Dec. 16.
The finance director emphasized conservative revenue assumptions and said no new taxes or fee increases are proposed in the draft. Final figures and any technical changes will be available after one-on-one review meetings with council members.
Provenance: The budget presentation is based on the finance director’s briefing to the council during the Nov. 17 pre-council meeting.
