Finance committee approves West Chicago's proposed 2026 budget, tax levy and related consent items

The West Chicago Finance Committee on Dec. 1 approved the city's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, a property tax levy request and several related consent items after receiving presentations from city staff.

City staff presented the 2026 budget as a $68,965,106 plan, a roughly 20% increase from 2025 that staff said is driven primarily by capital projects, park investments and downtown revitalization. "This document serves as our financial road map for the coming year," the presenter said, and noted the general fund increase is a modest 2.01%, which staff said is below inflation.

Finance staff member Jim provided numerical details on the levy and tax-rate drivers. He said the 2025 tax levy request for ordinance number 25-0-0054 was projected at $5,175,490.47, a 4.9% increase over the prior year, and explained that the final tax rate will depend on the equalized assessed valuation in Wayne and Winfield townships. Jim also flagged a projected structural gap of approximately $260,000 in future years, attributing it to the grocery tax elimination and declining red-light enforcement revenue.

The presentation emphasized a major increase to the capital projects fund, which staff said grows by more than 100% to support street reconstruction, Washington Street remediation and other infrastructure upgrades across the city. Staff also highlighted economic development initiatives, including expanded downtown investment programming, revised retail and restaurant grants, and new cultural markets.

The committee also considered a new business support specialist position proposed for the business and community relations team. Kelly, a staff member in that department, described the role as handling business registration, retention visits, onboarding for new businesses and maintaining property and investment data to target recruitment. "We are encouraging strongly bilingual candidates," Kelly said, noting a particular need to connect with Spanish-speaking business owners.

A committee member asked whether the listed bachelor's degree preference (in fields such as urban planning, business or economics) might be too restrictive. Kelly replied that equivalent organizational experience is acceptable and that the job description allows for related experience in lieu of a degree.

A single motion bundled four consent items: the proposed 2026 budget (ordinance 25-0-0053 as stated in the motion), ordinance 25-0-0054 (property tax levy), ordinance 25-0-0055 (Special Service Area #2 levy) and the business support specialist job description. The chair called the roll and members recorded aye votes; the motion carried. No further business was raised and the committee adjourned.

The committee meeting record shows staff thanked senior management and community participants for input during the budget workshops. The meeting closed with no executive session requested and no additional items scheduled.