TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR SPECIAL MEETING OF NOVEMBER 6, 2025
COMMITTEE ON BUDGET AND EMPLOYMENT
Mr. John P. Murray, Acting Executive Director
Title
Authority to Accept the Executive Director’s 2026 Budget Recommendations and the Attached Changes
Body
Dear Sir:
The attached changes to the Executive Director’s 2026 Budget Recommendations (BF-19 budget forms) are submitted for your consideration during the Committee on Budget and Employment Special Meeting beginning on November 6, 2025. The requested net changes to appropriations are summarized below:
FUND DEPARTMENT NET CHANGE
CORPORATE Monitoring & Research $0
Information Technology|9 10| Maintenance & Operations|9 10| TOTAL CORPORATE FUND $0
CONSTRUCTION $692,200
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT $0
The total appropriation request for the 2026 Budget is $1,773,164,500, an increase of $692,200 from the initial appropriation request of $1,772,472,300. Compared to the 2025 adjusted appropriation of $1,694,607,674, this is an increase of $78,556,826, or 4.6 percent.
The estimated total tax levy for the 2026 Budget is $758,668,255, unchanged from the initial budget recommendation. Compared to the 2025 total adjusted levy of $723,426,385, this is an increase of $35,241,870, or 4.9 percent.
The total appropriation request for the Corporate Fund is $530,820,200, unchanged from the initial budget recommendation. Compared to the 2025 adjusted appropriation of $523,694,700, this is an increase of $7,125,500, or 1.4 percent.
The total appropriation request for the Construction Fund is $73,709,800, an increase of $692,200 from the initial budget request of $73,017,600. The change in appropriation is primarily due to a change in the project schedule for Raw Sewage Discharge Pipe Support Modifications for Pumps 1-3 at the Kirie WRP ($1.6 million), offset by the cancellation of the Fox River Water Reclamation District Operations and Maintenance Building Replacement ($0.5 million) and a change in the project schedule for Underground Storage Tanks Improvements at Various Locations ($0.5 million). Compared to the 2025 adjusted appropriation of $83,143,600, this is a decrease of $9,433,800, or 11.3 percent.
The total appropriation request for the Stormwater Management Fund is $82,036,500, unchanged from the initial budget request. Major proposed BF-19 changes include the addition of the flood-prone property acquisition in Markham ($0.4 million), offset by a change in the project schedule for Flood Control Project in the Worth Woods Subdivision ($0.4 million). Compared to the 2025 adjusted appropriation of $134,723,100, this is a decrease of $52,686,600, or 39.1 percent.
Revised budget pages 40-41 include appropriation changes with no changes to the estimated tax rate.
Revised budget pages 52-53 summarize the appropriations and positions and reflect all proposed changes for the 2026 Budget. The total number of positions requested for 2026 is 1,956, a net increase of four positions from 2025. The amended position changes, detailed below, resulted in no change in position count from the Executive Director’s Recommendations.
Revised budget pages 73-75 present a summary of revenues and expenditures for all funds for 2026, as budgeted, and 2025, as estimated, and include changes in 2025 estimated expenditures.
Revised budget page 94 presents the estimated balance sheet for the Construction Fund due to changes in project schedules.
Revised position analysis pages 200-201 for the Information Technology Department in the Corporate Fund show the transfer of three positions from Section 287 to Section 286, including two A/V Administrator positions and one A/V Analyst position. Additionally, Section 286 was renamed to Endpoint Systems Management Unit - MOB to better reflect the modern operational aspects of the Information Technology Department for end-user devices. This includes supporting flexible, unified collaboration systems for mobility and audio/video equipment.
Revised budget pages 327-329, and 445-446 provide an updated list of capital projects for the Construction Fund and Stormwater Management Fund, respectively.
BF-19 budget forms, pages 1 through 6, detail all requested changes in appropriation and staffing.
Requested, Shellie A. Riedle, Administrative Services Officer, IG
Recommended, John P. Murray, Acting Executive Director
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Special Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for November 6, 2025
Attachments
Revised budget pages 40-41, 52-53, 73-75, 94, 200-201, 327-329, and 445-446 dated October 29, 2025
BF-19 budget forms, pages 1-6, dated October 28, 2025