City Council

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SPECIAL BUDGET WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEKIN, ILLINOIS, HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF CITY HALL 111 S. CAPITOL ST ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2026 AT 8:30 AM MAYOR MARY J. BURRESS PRESIDING Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Burress. Call to Order City Clerk, Ms. Nicole Stewart, confirmed all Council Members were physically present except for Mayor Pro Tem Hohimer, Council Member Hilst and Council Member Phillips who were absent. Attendee Name Organization Title Status Arrived Rick Hilst City of Pekin Council Member Absent --:-- Karen Hohimer City of Pekin Mayor Pro Tem Absent --:-- Dave Nutter City of Pekin Council Member Present 8:30 AM Mary Burress City of Pekin Mayor Present 8:30 AM Jimmie Fletcher, City of Pekin Council Member Present 8:30 AM Jr. John P Abel City of Pekin Council Member Present 8:30 AM Peg Phillips City of Pekin Council Member Absent --:-- Council Member Hilst arrived at 10:13 AM and City Clerk Nicole Stewart called the roll. Mayor Pro Tem Hohimer and Council Member Phillips were absent. Attendee Name Organization Title Status Arrived Rick Hilst City of Pekin Council Member Present 10:13 AM Karen Hohimer City of Pekin Mayor Pro Tem Absent --:-- Dave Nutter City of Pekin Council Member Present 8:30 AM Mary Burress City of Pekin Mayor Present 8:30 AM Jimmie Fletcher, City of Pekin Council Member Present 8:30 AM Jr. John P Abel City of Pekin Council Member Present 8:30 AM Peg Phillips City of Pekin Council Member Absent --:-- Mayor Burress declared a quorum and opened the meeting at 8:35 AM. Approve Agenda RESULT: PASSED (UNANIMOUS) MOVER: Council Member Dave Nutter SECONDER: 1st Alternate Mayor Pro Tem John Abel AYES: 1st Alternate Mayor Pro Tem Abel, Mayor Burress, Council Member Nutter, Council Member Fletcher Public Input No Public Input was received. Executive Session 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) Collective Negogiating Matters Between the Public Body and its Employees or Their Representatives, or Deliberations Concerning Salary Schedules for One or More Classes of Employees Council did not move into Executive Session. Communications, Petitions, Reports 6.1. Presentations by Departments for FY27 Budget Finance Director Eric Dubrowski opened the FY27 budget work session, explaining the purpose was to review departmental budgets and gather council feedback before releasing the proposed budget to the public, with a target date of March 9. He noted the City is transitioning from prior salary allocation practices to a chargeback system to better account for costs across funds.City Manager John Dossey and staff presented budget overviews for several departments including Administration, Legal, City Clerk, Human Resources, Finance, and Information Technology. Discussion included training funds, public communication expenses, contractual accounting services, and technology licensing changes. Revenue projections were also reviewed, including utility tax, state revenue distributions, and other general fund revenue sources. Public Safety budgets were presented by Fire Chief Trent Reeise and Police Chief Seth Ranney, including operational needs, staffing considerations, and the demolition program for unsafe structures. Public Works Director Simon Grimm reviewed Street Department equipment needs, road maintenance planning, and operational updates. Staff also presented budgets for enterprise funds, including Solid Waste, Wastewater, and Motor Fuel Tax, as well as the Capital Projects Fund, Airport, and Building Department. The City’s TIF and Business Development District funds were briefly reviewed along with several ongoing infrastructure projects. Mr. Dubrowski concluded by requesting council feedback as staff finalizes the proposed budget, with the draft expected to be released March 9 and a public hearing anticipated in April. Adjourn There being no further business to come to the Council Mayor Burress adjourned the meeting at 1:57 PM.