Oak Park trustees favor short-term use of fund balance for sustainability, living-room program

Trustees on Oak Park's finance committee debated how best to fund two unfunded priorities: a $250,000 allocation to the sustainability fund and a proposed contribution to the community "living room" program. Multiple trustees said the village's fund balance — projected to be around $43 million at fiscal year-end and well above the village's 6'12% policy range — could cover those one-time or near-term costs without a levy increase.

Trustee Derek recommended using the general fund balance this year to avoid a levy increase, saying the sustainability fund would otherwise be drawn down to levels staff consider inadequate for program continuity. Derek told the committee, "That's my recommendation," and trustees discussed making the sustainability staffing cost a general-fund item going forward to stabilize operations.

Several trustees cautioned that the village should still seek partner funding (for example, the township's participation in the living-room program) and pursue sustainable revenue streams for the sustainability fund in the 2026 budget cycle. Staff said the sustainability fund started the current fiscal year at about $2.9 million and could fall to roughly $1 million by the end of FY2026 if no new revenue is identified; moving staff salaries to the general fund was discussed as one structural option.

The finance committee asked staff to prepare clear documentation of the recommended transfers and to include those adjustments and the committee's rationale in the packet presented to the full Village Board.