W E D N E S D A Y
October 23, 2024 Vol. 45, No. 17
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JOURNAL @oakpark
ELECTION SAMPLE BALLOT Page 19
of Oak Park and River Forest
Oak Park trustees debate financing, deferring projects in capital plan The 5-year plan could be taxing for staff, but the board has spending options By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter
Cat Lady
As major construction projects begin to stretch resources, Oak Park trustees are debating how to pay for their capital improvement plan and whether other projects may need to be delayed. Trustees have been working to approve a five-year plan for fiscal years 2025 to 2029, a 240-page document available online. The Oak Park Avenue Streetscape, remodeling Village Hall and building a new police station are some of the big-ticket items that are part of the package. But paying for them won’t be cheap, and village staff said the numerous projects could spread employees too thin. For funding 2025’s projects, Oak Park has some options: spending down reserves or issuing bonds. Oak Park has a significant unrestricted fund balance, sitting at about $45.8 million. It grows, Interim Chief Financial Officer Donna Gayden explained, when more revenue comes in than expected or expenses are lower than expected.
Artist K.C. Weldon and her ceramics at the Oak Park Art League Harvest Market Pop-up SEE MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 12
TODD BANNOR
See CAPITAL PLAN on page 6
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