ROCHELLE — At its meeting Monday, the Rochelle City Council held a public hearing for and unanimously approved its 2025 budget, and also unanimously approved its capital improvement plan for 2025.

"I think everybody did a great job on this this year," Mayor John Bearrows said. "All the way through, from department heads trying to massage it into a palatable number that's fair and I think it's great to also see that our anticipated tax rate for this year is going down. That's all good news."

The final proposed 2025 General Fund revenues are budgeted at $14,864,471, representing an increase of approximately six percent compared to the original approved 2024 budget. Budgeted expenses total $15,372,877 which is approximately nine percent higher than the 2024 budget. This results in a budget deficit of $508,406. The combination of the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds, Enterprise Funds, Internal Service Funds, Trust and Agency Funds, and Capital Project Funds results in budgeted revenues of $119,887,397 and budgeted expenses of $133,500,472.

"When you look at the overall budget of $133 million, I know for a town our size that seems like a lot of money, and it is," City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said. "Just remember that it will fluctuate every year based on capital projects and power purchases. Those are over 60 percent of our expenses."

The capital improvement plan is tied into the budget and sets forth a 20-year program.of expenditure planning, including projects in need of renovation, repair, and/or construction along with equipment or vehicle replacement. The plan relates needs to the finances that will support them along with their timeframe.

Stop signs

The council unanimously approved an ordinance approving the installation of all-way stops on Southview Drive and Lake Lida Lane at the intersections of Randall Road, Cedar Brook and Lakeland Drive.

Residents located on Southview Drive and Lake Lida Lane have expressed concerns of motorists avoiding the stop signs located along Willis Avenue resulting in additional traffic traveling on both Southview Drive and Lake Lida Lane, which necessitated the change, City Street Department Superintendent Tim Isley said.

Southview Drive and Lake Lida Lane are narrow roadways at 27 feet wide with parking permitted on both sides. Each block within these two roads are over 800 feet in length, twice as long as the average city block, with a combined overall length of nearly a half mile. Both roads are long and straight with no controlled stops increasing the likelihood of speeding, and the city has concerns of visibility with parking on each side. Two new apartment complexes are near completion in the area as well, which will increase traffic.

"I've driven down there a lot, and with all of those houses, every one of them has to back out onto that street," Bearrows said. "It's a big safety concern, so I think it's a very wise move."

Property

The council unanimously approved the purchase of property at 503 N. Main St, for $65,000 plus closing costs. The home on the property will be demolished to create a parking lot for the Rochelle Fire Department.

Fiegenschuh said Monday that RFD will use the home for training in January and February before the demolition will take place in the spring. The city plans to look into coupling the work with a planned downtown project that will include the reconstruction of current parking lots and the addition of new parking lots, along with the construction of a stage, storage and bathrooms structure across the street from the fire station. The new structure will reduce parking immediately nearby the fire station.

"That new structure would put off-duty and volunteer responders coming in on the other side of it before they could park, so this new lot just gives them a lot closer, secure parking so they can get into the fire station and get out the door quicker," City Councilman Tom McDermott said.