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Evanston council approves midyear budget amendment to shore up cemetery fund and cover higher dispatch fees
Summary
City Treasurer Trudy Lemon told the council the amendment reallocates $136,145 for increased dispatch fees, $25,000 to the motor vehicle/internal service fund and $500,000 to the cemetery fund; council approved the allocation while questions about a formal dispatch contract remain.
Evanston city council voted to amend the 2025–26 budget to cover unexpected costs and stabilize an operating fund, reallocating money to cover higher dispatch charges and to shore up the cemetery fund.
Trudy Lemon, city treasurer, told the council “the amount for the dispatch fees is 136,145,” and said the amendment also supplements the motor vehicle/internal service fund by $25,000 and provides $500,000 to the cemetery fund to address an operating shortfall. Lemon said the $136,145 increase brings the city’s dispatch charge to $551,145 for the fiscal year.
The amendment is an allocation step: staff emphasized the money is being placed in the appropriate line items so departments have the authority to spend once specific expenditures or contracts return to the council for approval. Lemon said staff have not yet finalized a signed contract for dispatch services; the draft has been sent to the county attorney for review.
Several council members pressed for clarity about the contract and whether the transfer would be spent immediately. Staff replied the transfer simply positions funds to be available late in the fiscal year and that any actual spending would still come back to council for individual approvals.
The cemetery fund was reported to be running a multi‑hundred‑thousand dollar deficit under the current reporting period; the $500,000 transfer is intended to eliminate the shortfall for the remainder of the fiscal year and reduce the likelihood of another mid‑year amendment. Staff noted the fiscal year is not over and figures may change before year end, but said this appropriation provides a cushion.
Council members asked for ongoing tracking of enterprise funds and reserve levels and were told the general fund has the capacity to make the one‑time allocation. The council approved the amendment as Resolution 26‑22.
Next steps: the amendment allocates the funds; individual expenditures and any contract approvals for dispatch services must be presented to the council for formal authorization before money is spent.
