Gurnee OKs budget that includes no village property tax for 23rd year

The Gurnee Village Board this week approved a $92.5 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which includes more than $17 million in village improvements.

The budget will go into effect on May 1, and run through April 30, 2024.

After the budget was passed during a meeting

Monday, the board unanimously approved funding for several items and projects as part of the new spending plan.

“Typically after we approve the budget, there are a slew of purchases that the staff brings forward to the Village Board for consideration to get these programs rolling,” Village Administrator Patrick Muetz said.

The village has a budget of $7.9 million for transportation improvements, including $4.4 million for road resurfacing throughout the next fiscal year.

“We do a condition assessment every other year,” Muetz said. “It helps provide guidance as far as where improvements need to be made.”

Also included in the $17 million budget for improvements is $3.6 million to improve Gurnee’s water and sewer system, $1.8 million to update village technology, $1.4 million to update buildings and $300,000 for stormwater management. The village also included $2.2 million in the budget to update Gurnee’s vehicles and equipment.

The budget is about 2% smaller than the previous fiscal year’s budget, primarily because the village paid off its debts for the construction of its third fire station.

Muetz said one of the highlights of the spending plan is that Gurnee, yet again, will not impose a property tax on its residents. Village residents have not had to pay property taxes to the village for the past 23 years, according to Muetz. The village is also not implementing a utility tax on its residents during the upcoming fiscal year.

“I really want to thank staff for their hard work,” Mayor Tom Hood said after the budget was approved. “The hard work started long ago putting this all together, especially the hard work of [Village Attorney] Bryan Winter and Patrick Muetz, and each of the department heads doing all that they have. It’s a success, it’s a balanced budget, it’s done really well.”