Glenview trustees have passed a 2025 budget that includes a 3.5% levy hike that is not expected to increase property taxes for local homeowners, per village officials.
The Village Board voted unanimously Dec. 3 to adopt a budget of $97 million with a $200,000 surplus for the coming year. The board also voted to increase the levy by $527,000, all of which, officials said, can be attributed to new development of property.
“The 2025 budget continues the village’s ongoing commitment to challenging the status quo, evaluating opportunities for alternative service delivery models and holding the line on cost increases,” co-Finance Directors Iwona Posniak and Katie Iraci said in a written report to the board. “Current property taxpayers will see no increase in the village portion of their property tax bill.”
Among the “highlights” they shared in the budget are a $1 million increase in revenue from state sales tax, which reflects a projection that sales will increase by 4%, according to David Just, a spokesperson for the village. That, per the budget, is expected to generate $24.2 million in 2025.
On the expense side, the budget accounts for an increase in contractual expenses, including increases of $985,000 in business retention, $270,000 in equipment maintenance, $235,000 in landscape services and $207,000 in information technology services, Posniak and Iraci said.
“These increases were partially offset by decreases in other professional services ($243,000), snow and ice maintenance ($198,000), and building and plan review services ($197,000),” they said.
Village President Michael Jenny praised staff and the board for the months-long preparation of the budget.
“It’s an important role in village government to make sure the public budget, balance sheet and income statement are properly maintained and cared for,” Jenny said. “We have to carefully match expenses with revenue in an inflationary environment, while properly funding our first responders (and) our actuarial pension requirements, and keeping our village services and infrastructure maintained.”
Other projected revenue increases include $234,000 from the home rule sales tax, expected to increase 2% to $11.7 million.
Although building permit revenue is expected to be 60% lower than projected for 2024, 2025 revenue is expected to rebound by 43% above the 2024 projections, Posniak and Iraci said.
“In addition to the core projects associated with residential and commercial remodeling, the 2025 budget includes the adjusted project timelines for large one-time projects or redevelopments that are now anticipated to be constructed in 2025,” they said.
Among those are several large one-time projects or redevelopments, such as new buildings in the Dermody Logistics Campus.
Among expenses that are projected to increase, Posniak and Iraci said, are:
- $624,000 in personnel costs, due primarily to merit and contractual increases, as well as new and restructured positions
- $525,000 in “other charges,” including increases in police and fire pension costs
Those increases are partially offset by a $106,000 decrease in risk management fixed charges and a $94,000 decline in general liability insurance costs, they said.
One resident, William Seitz, addressed the board during the public hearing before the vote on the budget.
Seitz said the village’s permanent fund and capital improvement fund should be included in the annual budget.
“Maybe staff can do a better job of reporting it,” he said.
The capital improvement budget totaled $39.5 million, Posniak and Iraci said.
