Downtown restaurants, business grants, EV chargers and Glenview Road bike path featured in 2026 budget

Community Development Director Bridal told the board the department is budgeting to support economic development and downtown activation in 2026, naming six new or incoming downtown restaurants — OVO Italian Taverna, Hometown Coffee and Juice, Spiro's Deli, Zenzi Den, Foxtail at the Glenview House and Smoke Barbecue — that are at various stages of permitting and construction.

Bridal said the business support program remains funded at just over $1 million for tenant and façade improvements and that staff has seen strong interest from more than 60 businesses. She explained the program is a reimbursement model and staff plans to group awards so a few large projects do not exhaust funds early in the year.

Public Works Director Perna described a mostly flat operating budget and said the department will shift some underground excavation and water-main work to contractors to limit overtime and equipment replacement costs. Perna also reviewed planned facility maintenance and pump-station reliability upgrades and noted the village’s hybrid staffing model (33 full-time employees plus contractors).

Trustees asked for more detail and mapping on the proposed multiuse Glenview Road path; staff said Phase 1 (Shermer to Washington) is programmed for 2026 with later phases extending east to the forest preserve. On EV charging, staff said the $60,000 line item in the budget would cover equipment and installation for roughly three chargers and that usage fees would be collected via vendor apps rather than directly retained by the village.

The board applauded the development momentum but asked staff to return with maps, scheduling and more detailed cost breakdowns before committing additional funds.