Peotone Village Board Considers Strategic Planning Initiative in 2025 Budget

By Andrea Arens

The Peotone Village Board’s Administrative Oversight Committee is exploring hiring professional consultants to develop a comprehensive strategic plan, with officials considering allocating up to $20,000 in the upcoming budget for the initiative.

Committee members discussed the proposal during their recent meeting as part of broader 2025 budget planning discussions, with Trustee Gary Hudson acknowledging past unsuccessful attempts at internal strategic planning efforts.

“We’ve tried to do this over and over again, over the years,” Hudson said. “If we’re gonna do it, we need to do it right. We need to stick to it. We need to follow through.”

Palmer, who has experience with strategic planning processes at the county level, said professional consultants would engage multiple stakeholder groups including elected officials, business community members, taxing partners and the general public.

“At the end of the day, you take all those ideas, you might not agree with all them at the end,” Palmer said. “But getting those other taxing bodies and stakeholders involved helps guide you and I just feel like it could have a more positive; just bringing people together and focusing on a common mission.”

Capital improvement priorities under review

The committee also discussed prioritizing capital improvement projects as the village faces what Palmer described as “millions of dollars of projects” without equivalent funding available.

Officials are reviewing an “unconstrained list” of potential projects to determine priorities, with street resurfacing identified as a major need following completion of Conrad and Crawford street improvements using federal ARPA funds that will not be available in 2025.

The village completed approximately $800,000 in street work this year but faces budget constraints for similar large-scale projects without external funding sources.

Committee members emphasized the need to balance infrastructure needs with revenue-generating improvements, particularly downtown enhancements that could attract more visitors and businesses.

Tax levy approval planned

Finance Director Anne Marie Mampe presented the proposed 2025 tax levy totaling $715,751, representing a slight increase from the previous year but remaining within the 5% threshold that would require a public taxation hearing.

The levy supports various municipal functions including auditing, police pension contributions, insurance, and general operations. Village property taxes represent approximately 10% of residents’ total property tax bills, with school districts comprising the largest portion.

Investment policy updates

The committee approved updates to the village’s investment policy, which hadn’t been formally reviewed since 2019. Officials reported that approximately $11 million in proceeds from the village’s water system sale is in investments.

Finance Director Mampe works with professional investment managers PFM and maintains relationships with multiple financial institutions to maximize returns while ensuring FDIC insurance protection.

Discussions around moving some smaller investments with lower interest rates to other accounts held by PFM were agreed upon unanimously.

Insurance costs rising

The village’s property and casualty insurance renewal through the Illinois Municipal Insurance Cooperative will increase 7.76% to $170,310 for 2025-26, which officials said represents a favorable rate compared to market conditions.

The cooperative serves smaller municipalities across the Chicago area and has helped the village maintain stable rates due to minimal claims history.

Budget timeline

The committee scheduled its next meeting for the week of January 19 to review department budget requests and finalize capital improvement priorities. Department directors will submit budget proposals by January 13, giving officials time to analyze requests before the committee meeting.

The village board must approve the final budget before the new fiscal year begins May 1.