Tinley Park holds public hearing on proposed 2025 budget; staff highlights police staffing and hiring timeline

President Glotz opened a special meeting and public hearing of the Village of Tinley Park Board of Trustees on April 16 to review the proposed 2025 budget. Assistant Village Manager Hannah Littman presented the near-final budget numbers, said the draft has been posted online since April 5 and told the board the village expects to adopt the budget at its April 30 meeting.

"As you all know, we've started our budget process way back in October," Littman said, summarizing the timeline and prior presentations, including a draft shown to the Committee of the Whole on April 2. She told trustees the general fund in the current draft shows budgeted revenues exceeding expenditures and that available cash on hand will allow the village to meet planned operating costs.

The presentation covered special revenue funds (including motor fuel tax and asset forfeiture proceeds), capital project funds tied to downtown redevelopment and TIFs, and debt service. Littman said much prior debt has rolled off, leaving the 2021 bond series as the primary outstanding general obligation series. She described enterprise funds — especially water — as "not in the greatest shape" but improving, and reported fiduciary funds (police pension and escrow) are in good condition.

Littman spent a significant portion of her remarks on public‑safety staffing, defending recent board support for increased sworn staffing. "We are the we are at the highest staffing levels that we've ever had here in the village," she told trustees, and she said the board has authorized "an additional 18 sworn positions," later listing the components as 13 patrol officers, 2 sergeants and 4 commanders. She estimated the additional annual operating cost at about "$4,000,000".

Littman also said the village has hired 43 patrol officers since a previous staffing study but emphasized that retirements, promotions and the multi-step hiring and training process slow how quickly new hires appear on the street. She described onboarding as taking roughly 10 months from pre-employment through academy and field training.

On the number of new positions in the draft budget, Littman said the police requested six additional patrol officers but staff is recommending authorizing one for the coming fiscal year because current promotions, pending retirements and candidates already in the pipeline will create multiple backfill needs. "If we could realistically add 6, we would, but to imply we're not supportive of the police department because we're not funding all 6, I just don't think that that's fair," Littman said.

She also told trustees that recruiting remains difficult after the passage of a state "safety act," which she said prompted at least one officer to leave the department; she did not cite a statute number during the hearing.

Trustees thanked staff for the presentation; no members of the public offered comment during the hearing. The board voted to open and then to close the public hearing by roll-call motions (moved, seconded and approved). The special meeting was adjourned at 6:45 p.m. Final adoption of the 2025 budget is scheduled for the board's April 30 meeting.

What happens next: the board will consider final adoption on April 30; staff said it will continue to monitor staffing and capital project schedules and report as needed.