Plainfield Village Board Adopts $61.3 Million Budget For 2019-20

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Plainfield Village Board of Trustees at its Monday meeting adopted a balanced $61.3 million budget for fiscal year 2019-2020. In a unanimous decision, a motion was passed to approve the budget. None of the trustees or members of the public took time to comment on the matter during the public hearing held ahead of the board’s vote.

Traci Pleckham, director of management services for the village, said the budget has been available for public inspection at Plainfield Village Hall and online.

The budget is comprised of approximately $26 million for general fund operations, $21 million for water/sewer operations and capital work and another $9 million dollars for capital improvements.

Some goals identified for the 2019-2020 fiscal year include beginning efforts to update the village of Plainfield Comprehensive Plan, conducting a water loss survey, funding a village-wide building condition study, and improving and replacing utilities in the Village Green neighborhood.

The budget process began in October 2018 after the completion of the village’s financial audit. Since then, staff and elected officials have sat in on a series of public workshops to review the work of each department, funding and proposed spending budgets.

The state of Illinois provides about 40 percent of the village’s general fund revenue. Other contributing sources include property taxes at 23 percent and charges for services at 19 percent.

Pleckham touted the village’s portion of the 2018 property tax levy, saying that it remains unchanged for the sixth consecutive year.

Plainfield has grown recently with new construction. As homes were added to the tax base, the village’s 2018 equalized assessed valuation projects an increase of approximately 3.9 percent.

Among other highlights the village estimates permit revenues finishing approximately 18 percent higher during fiscal year 2019 than the prior year, and the fiscal year 2020 is budgeted to decrease as compared to the 2019 estimate.

Sales tax projections this year show revenue is estimated at 2.3 percent higher than 2018.

During fiscal year 2019, income tax revenues are anticipated to remain flat as compared to the prior year. As such, the village budgeted a 1 percent decline to the fiscal year 2019 estimate.

The village intends to monitor further changes to income tax revenue to help address budgetary impacts.