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Villa Park board approves 2026 budget after questions on recreation, pool and fleet spending
Summary
After extended questioning about why recreation and pool funds showed large variances, the Village of Villa Park board adopted the 2026 budget and asked staff for detailed expense lists and a public budget workshop.
The Village of Villa Park Board of Trustees adopted the village's 2026 budget in a special meeting Tuesday after trustees pressed staff for explanations of large variances in recreation and pool accounts and details about planned equipment leasing.
Trustees voted to approve the budget ordinance for the fiscal year beginning Jan. 1, 2026, after a lengthy question-and-answer session. Trustee Cordova recorded a No vote; Trustees Constatos, Cozart and Kumar voted Yes; Trustee Sabri voted Yes with a provision. The board asked staff to provide additional documentation before transfers are executed in January.
Trustees highlighted several areas that prompted follow-up requests. Trustee Constatos asked for a line-by-line accounting after noting that a $510,000 transfer to the recreation fund in the 2025 budget appeared to be projected to $890,000 in year-end figures: “So, I was wondering why did we go so far over budget and what was it for?” she asked. Trustees asked for a breakdown of which expenses were charged to recreation, which were moved between funds, and which were one-time moving or startup costs tied to the new recreation facility.
Trustee Kumar urged the board to review fees for programs and services to improve cost recovery. “I do feel that maybe our fees are way too low for what we're providing,” Kumar said, urging the commission to assess program pricing after a year of operations.
Manager Rivas said staff will produce the requested expense lists and noted that final transfers tied to 2025 expenditures are processed after January's close: “We will get the board everything that that they are requesting,” he said, adding that any transfer above budgeted amounts would be returned to the board for an amended appropriation.
The board also asked for a public, educational budget workshop next summer and monthly departmental reports that show current spending as a percentage of each department's budget. Staff agreed to deliver an organizational chart, fleet inventory and a debt/bond schedule for review.
Next steps: staff will provide the detailed expense breakdowns and a proposed schedule for a budget workshop and department-level monthly reporting; any legal transfers above budgeted amounts will be brought back to the board for approval.
