Montgomery presents balanced FY2027 budget; officials cite Waterlink-driven revenue and expense growth

Village finance staff delivered the public presentation of the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget, which the administration described as balanced and prepared in line with the village strategic plan.

Budget staff said FY2027 revenues are proposed at just under $126 million with expenses programmed at about $136 million; the larger dollar figures reflect the accounting treatment for bond proceeds and the Waterlink water-line project, including refinancing earlier debt certificates and increased capital outlays. The presenter said the general fund’s top three revenue sources remain sales tax, income tax and property tax and that sales tax collections have risen substantially since 2021. Staff also noted recent accounting changes that shifted some use-tax receipts into sales-tax categories and cautioned about state-level proposals that could alter municipal income-tax distribution formulas.

On the expense side, the proposed budget includes a modest set of net staffing additions (2.5 full-time equivalent permanent positions: one police officer, a part-time FOIA support officer, and a facilities technician phased in later in the year), two temporary succession-planning positions (fleet mechanic and code enforcement), resumption of vehicle replacement funding, and higher pension and insurance costs. Staff said they removed or deferred other proposed positions and nonessential travel to arrive at a balanced proposal without raising tax rates.

Next steps: staff will publish notice for the statutory public hearing, hold detailed enterprise and special-fund reviews at the next meeting, and bring the ordinance for adoption on the second reading in April. Trustees asked for the budget document to be published online and for continuing detail on the water fund at the next meeting.