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KANKAKEE — The rising cost of doing business also hits county government, as evidence by the Kankakee County Board approving the budget of $46,999,784 for Fiscal Year 2025.
The new budget approved Tuesday is an increase of $4.89 million from Fiscal Year 2024. Fiscal Year 25 begins Dec. 1 and ends Nov. 30, 2025.
The increase represents a 11% hike from the FY24′s budget of $42,099,954. Yet, the county is estimated to end FY24 with a revenue of $44,143,746, which is $357,737 more than estimated expenses.
Board members OK’d the budget with the exception of Colton Ekhoff, who abstained. Ekhoff was elected Kankakee County auditor on Nov. 5.
Some of the increases in the FY25 budget includes $339,754 in capital improvements; $70,000 in a new agreement with the Visitor Bureau (Visit Kankakee County); $8,000 in river gauge maintenance; and $25,000 for Kankakee River Valley Regatta sponsorship.
There’s also an 10% increase in health insurance for the county which amounts to $387,167. County Finance Director Steve McCarty said at the Oct. 23 Finance Committee meeting it’s the normal cost of living and inflation costs.
Interim county board Chairman Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand lauded the efforts of McCarty for finalizing the budget. Alexander-Hildebrand, who worked alongside board member Craig Long and McCarty on putting it together, said inflation has the biggest effect on the budget increase.
“And then also with ARPA funding coming to the close, we obviously have had added cost,” he said. “[ARPA] has been kind of saving us the past couple years.”
The $46.9-million budget is reflected by the same amount expected on the revenue side for the county. The bulk of the general fund revenue comes from a variety of taxes, which will account for $23.3 million of the budget. The top three of those will come from $8.8 million in property tax, $6.3 million in sales tax and $4.49 million in state income tax.
Moving forward, Alexander-Hildebrand, who’s expected to be voted in as board chairman in December, said the county will be “absolutely fiscally conservative.”
https://daily-journal.com/news/local/county-board-approves-budget/article_56d25ab2-a128-11ef-b874-2b8334701475.html