Richfield council reallocates $732,000 to fund cemetery expansion and crosswalk, adopts emergency resolution

The Richfield Village Council on July 7 adopted Resolution No. 60-2026 to reallocate funds and authorize immediate appropriations for two capital projects: a $600,000 expansion of West Richfield Cemetery and a $132,000 crosswalk project at the Woods on Broadview Road. The council voted to suspend further readings and adopted the resolution unanimously.

Finance Director Turk explained the funding plan, which realigns $732,000 from two projects pushed or under budget (a $500,000 reduction from the Wetland Mitigation Project and $132,000 from the Wheatley Road Extension Project) and transfers $500,000 from the Capital Improvement Income Tax Fund to the Cemetery Income Tax Fund to cover the cemetery cash need. Turk noted the current cemetery cash balance was $230,470 before the transfers and that an additional $5,000 was included to cover anticipated IT expenditures in Mayor's Court.

Councilmember Stoppenhagen moved to suspend the second and third readings and then moved adoption; both motions passed with unanimous roll call votes. The resolution was presented as an emergency measure so work on the cemetery expansion and crosswalk could proceed this construction season.

The action follows a recent Cemetery Board recommendation to suspend sales while the cemetery expansion moves forward; Council separately passed that suspension at the same meeting. The council did not set a construction schedule in the resolution text but authorized the appropriations and transfers needed to advance procurement and design.