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DeForest staff kick off 2026 budget process, highlight new‑growth relief and priorities
Summary
Finance staff began the 2026 budget cycle, showing that new construction growth supplied much of the revenue that eased the tax burden on existing homeowners, and outlined priorities including transportation, facilities planning, staffing and code/codification tools.
Village finance staff presented the initial framing for the 2026 budget on July 1, explaining how recent growth has softened immediate tax pressure on existing homeowners and identifying likely priorities and timelines.
Bill Chang and Carol Thompson said new construction and development are contributing a sizable share of additional tax revenue: "The new growth is very valuable to us. It helps ease the burden on our existing homes," Carol said, citing staff estimates that new growth supplied approximately $578,000 of additional revenue while existing properties were asked to provide roughly $350,000 in the 2025 budget year.
Staff walked trustees through comparisons with nearby communities on assessed value and municipal mill rates and noted key calendar checkpoints for 2026 budgeting: preliminary equalized values on August 15, revenue estimates tied to state calculations on September 15, and expenditure restraint limits on October 1. Staff flagged potential budget impacts including TID (tax increment district) closures, staffing requests (administrative assistant, financial/accounting support), potential additional police patrol sergeant, and capital needs such as facilities planning and codification software.
Chang and Thompson stressed that the board sets priorities and staff will assemble budgets consistent with those policies. They recommended more focused department presentations in coming weeks (police, fire, community center, library) and said staff will upload materials to the village’s engagement site so trustees and the public can review presentations and assumptions.
What comes next: Departments will present detailed requests mid‑July and into August; staff expect to produce numbers for initial review by early September and to return to the board with modeled budget scenarios and policy options.
