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Committee reviews preliminary 2025 budget; levy to remain unchanged as mill-rate uncertainty persists
Summary
The Joint Committee of the Whole reviewed the preliminary 2025 operating, utility and capital budgets and approved placing the required public notice in the paper. Officials said the levy will stay the same after department cuts and a $15,000 library reduction, though TID adjustments and an assessor’s objection could push the mill-rate increase near $0.30 per $1,000.
The Joint Committee of the Whole reviewed the city's preliminary 2025 operating, utility and capital budgets at its Oct. 28 meeting and approved placing the public budget notice in the newspaper to begin the formal notice period.
Committee members said the overall levy will remain the same as in 2024, attributing that outcome to careful budget work across departments and a $15,000 spending reduction approved by the library board. The committee emphasized cost controls by department heads as a key factor in holding the levy steady.
Officials also discussed the likely change in the city's mill rate. The committee identified a goal of limiting the mill-rate increase to less than $0.26 per $1,000 of assessed value, but officials said adjustments to TID In and TID Out figures stemming from a higher assessed valuation are moving that estimate closer to $0.30 per $1,000. The committee noted a manufacturer's objection is delaying the release of the Equated Assessment Value, a figure needed to finalize the mill rate.
No final budget adoption occurred at the meeting; the committee's action authorized placing the notice in the paper, a procedural step toward adoption. Next steps include resolution of the Equated Assessment Value and subsequent finalization of the mill rate before any formal adoption of the budget.
Speakers identified in the meeting record include Council President Tetzlaff; Mayor Greuel; Alderpersons VanderHeiden, Krull, Hurkman, Gerbers and Schaumberg; City Administrator Sean Hutchison; Chief of Police Isaac Schultz; and Clerk-Treasurer Christy Stover. The transcript does not attribute detailed budget remarks to a single committee member.
