By Nick Reiher

Nine Republican Will County Board members have requested a special meeting to be held Thursday, Dec. 4, to formalize their plan to use $2.8 million in cash reserves to balance the 2025-26 budget.

The shortfall in funding the $791 million budget came about when 11 Republicans and one Democrat voted not to increase the county’s total levy from this year’s amount.

In her proposed budget, County Executive Jennifer-Bertino Tarrant included a 2 percent increase in the total levy, the amount of property taxes used toward the budget.

If the board had approved the 2 percent increase, the county’s portion of the property tax bill would have dropped from 0.5129 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation on a home, to 0.4884 percent.

Instead of looking for more ways to cut the budget since Bertino-Tarrant proposed the budget in August, discussions at the board’s regular and special Finance Committee meetings devolved into a dispute whether it was the job of the County Board or County Executive to find the additional cuts necessary.

County Board members in the past have used the time between the budget proposal and approval in November to tweak the budget with county finance staff and appropriate department heads and elected officials present to help.

When that didn’t happen, the board approved an underfunded budget at its November 20 meeting. The new budget year begins Dec. 1, 2025.

Bertino-Tarrant later signed it, saying she hoped the board would figure out a way to address the $2.8 million gap, adding:

“Please note that the County Executive has no legal ability to alter the approved appropriations or control expenditures for any other elected official’s budget.

“Considering that the majority of the County Board failed to pass a balanced budget, we request that before any major procurements or expenditures each elected official reach out to our office to effectively manage cashflow.”

Republican County Board members at the November 20 meeting noted the county has more than the 25 percent of the budget held in reserve for contingencies and emergencies. The $94.8 million in reserves is $22 million over the minimum.

The resolution also notes the county has had more than the 25 percent in reserves required by county code for the past four years.

Signing the request for a special meeting were County Board Republican Caucus Leader Jim Richmond, R-Mokena; Judy Ogalla, R-Monee; Frankie Pretzel, R-New Lenox; Katie Deane-Schlottman, R-Joliet; Steve Balich, R-Homer Glen; Dan Butler, R-Frankfort; Julie Berkowicz, R-Naperville; Dave Oxley, R-Lockport; and Vince Logan, R-Plainfield.

The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in the second-floor boardroom of the Will County Office Building, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.