A brisk Peoria City Council meeting Tuesday set the stage for approval of a two-year budget, with stormwater utility fees remaining flat.
During the 12-minute special meeting, the council received and filed a first reading of an ordinance amendment that freezes the stormwater fee at its current rate for 2026-27.
It’s one of several steps the council has taken over the past month to balance the proposed spending plan that originally had a $3 million deficit for the next fiscal year.
Since the existing stormwater utility ordinance includes automatic increases, finance director Kyle Cratty noted the two-year freeze needed the amendment as a “mechanical requirement.”
“It would default back to those increases being taken in [2028], but that is something obviously council could take up at that time,” said Cratty.
The various council motions resulted in revenues and expenses at $300.5 million for 2026 and $324.3 million for 2027. City manager Patrick Urich said almost $2.5 million in revenue is added and $600,000 in expenses is cut for 2026.
No residents spoke Tuesday during the required “truth in taxation” public hearing.
Cratty noted the hearing was necessary because the property tax levy amount is increasing by 6.56%. He said that percentage equals the anticipated increase in property values, while the tax rate itself remains unchanged.
A vote to finalize the budget, originally targeted for Nov. 4, is expected during a regular council meeting next Tuesday, Oct. 28.
