First look at Wilmette ’25 budget includes 2.3% tax increase, waste fee reduction

Wilmette officials presented a preliminary overview of the village’s 2025 proposed operating budget to trustees Tuesday night, detailing what staff described as a “structurally balanced” budget that also offers a rosy financial forecast for the year ahead.

Village Manager Michael Braiman started the board’s budget discussion during its Oct. 9 meeting by noting that the evening’s review was “not intended to be an in-depth discussion by the Village Board but rather a high-level overview from the village staff.”

Prefacing the 2025 budget overview was a brief recap from Melinda Molloy, the village’s finance director, on Wilmette’s year-to-date financial performance in 2024. Molloy first detailed Wilmette’s revenue performance by looking at the village’s general, water, sewer and stormwater funds.

In the general fund, Wilmette is performing “slightly better” than village officials projected, Molloy said. Across the three other funds, Wilmette, “for all intents and purposes, is pretty much on target,” per Molloy.

Across all four categories, Wilmette is up approximately $2.4 million, or 6 percent, from where officials expected to be. Much of the positive performance can be attributed to Wilmette’s investment income, according to Molloy, who added that it has been “extremely robust” for the village.

When the presentation shifted to the 2025 budget, Braiman opened by expressing the staff’s optimism.

“At a high level, we’re very pleased with the budget we’re able to present to the Village Board for 2025,” he said.

The 2025 budget proposal includes a 2.3% property tax levy increase, which Braiman noted is consistent with the projected headline consumer price index for next year.

Officials described the uptick as one that is a continuation of low rates. Wilmette’s tax levy increase has been under 3% over the last four years, per village documents. The 2024 increase was 2.94%.

A vast majority of the 2025 increase, which Braiman noted is one of the smallest proposed increases over the last 25 years, is tied to Wilmette’s public safety pensions.

The proposed budget also includes something that Braiman told the board he can’t remember ever occurring since his time with the village (2008): a fee reduction.

The $16 decrease comes in the residential solid waste collection fee. Residents are tentatively slated to save just over $4 per quarter on that fee.

There will be no increase to water, sewer, stormwater or taxes, rates and fees, according to the budget proposal.

The budget also earmarks planned reserve drawdowns to invest in the Village’s 150-year-old infrastructure, officials said during the meeting. Planned infrastructure work includes street resurfacing, alley reconstruction, water plant treatment process improvements and water main replacement and more, according to village documents.  

Regarding expenses, Wilmette’s primary operating fund costs are anticipated to increase by 2.2 percent. Capital improvement work is the main reason for the uptick, but officials have reduced spending by $3.7 million from the original plan that was presented to trustees earlier this year.

Major capital work includes the implementation of Wilmette’s automatic meter reading program ($2.6 million), continuation of the village’s road program ($2.4M) and the initial phases of lead service line replacements ($1.3M).

The village is also planning about $1.4 million toward the police station project, mainly for design services, and additional investments in the town’s community-wide rat mitigation program.

Wilmette officials will host a budget workshop on Oct. 30 to dive deeper in the 2025 budget. The budget ordinance adoption is scheduled for Nov. 26 with the property tax levy ordinance adoption set for Dec. 10. 

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