Will County Finance Committee Forwards 1.75% Compromise Property Tax Levy to Full Board

Article Summary:
The Will County Board’s Finance Committee on Tuesday, November 12, 2025, narrowly approved a series of property tax levies reflecting a 1.75% increase, breaking a weeks-long stalemate between factions advocating for 0% and 2% increases. The compromise package, which includes an amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget, now moves to the full County Board for a final, contentious vote.

Will County Budget Key Points:

• Compromise Levy: The committee passed levies based on a 1.75% increase over the previous year, a proposal introduced by County Board Speaker Joe VanDuyne to bridge a partisan divide.

• Key Fund Increases: Major funds were amended and approved, including the Corporate Fund levy at $108.8 million, the Health Department levy at $12 million, and the County Highway levy at $8.2 million.

• Narrow Votes: The most significant amended levies passed on a tight 3-2 vote, signaling a potentially difficult debate at the upcoming full board meeting.

• Budget Balancing: The committee passed the FY 2026 budget forward with the understanding that staff will make cuts to align expenditures with the newly approved levy amounts before the final vote.

JOLIET, IL – After weeks of contentious debate, the Will County Board Finance Committee on Tuesday, November 12, 2025, advanced a compromise budget package built on a 1.75% property tax levy increase, setting the stage for a final showdown at the full County Board.

The proposal was introduced by County Board Speaker Joe VanDuyne (D-Wilmington) in an effort to break a deadlock between board members who had previously supported a 0% levy increase and those who backed the 2% increase originally proposed by the County Executive’s office.

“There has been comments from the board members I spoke to individually and a lot of them were interested in in the word compromise,” VanDuyne stated at the meeting. “I think in the spirit of compromise… I’m willing to ask the chair of this committee to ask for a motion to provide numbers to the budget that would reflect a 1.75% levy.”

VanDuyne added that new construction revenue had come in higher than initially projected, rising from $1.8 million to approximately $2.2 million, providing some additional financial flexibility. To show good faith, he also pledged to cut the County Board’s own budget by $50,000, targeting funds for travel and training.

The compromise, however, was met with sharp criticism from some Republican board members who argued the process lacked transparency and failed to address what they called a “spending problem.”

“I am really microphone challenged today,” said board member Julie Berkowicz (R-Naperville), expressing frustration after receiving the specific dollar amounts for the 1.75% levy for the first time during the meeting. “I just have a real problem with the transparency that we’re seeing right now. I wish we would do better to the public and to the board members.”

The debate highlighted the procedural and political tensions surrounding the budget process. Steve Balich (R-Homer Glen), who is not on the committee, predicted a “fight on the floor” of the full board meeting. “I’m encouraging my entire caucus to be a zero and a zero,” he said.

The committee proceeded to vote on each individual levy, with the most significant measures passing by a narrow 3-2 margin. Committee Chair Sherry Newquist (D-Steger) and members Jackie Traynere (D-Bolingbrook) and Denise Winfrey (D-Joliet) voted in favor, while Julie Berkowicz and David G. Oxley (R-Lockport) voted against.

Key amended levies approved include:

• Corporate Fund: $108,814,654

• Health Department: $12,000,000

• Tort Immunity Fund: $5,100,000

• Workers’ Comp Fund: $4,100,000

• County Highway Fund: $8,215,857

Notably, the levy for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) was reduced to $14.2 million from a previously estimated. The Community Mental Health Board levy was also approved at $10 million.

The meeting began with a public comment from Dr. Gary Leinsky, a board of health member, who urged the board not to cut funding for maternal health services and communicable disease monitoring, warning that such reductions could have severe public health consequences.

The committee concluded by forwarding the FY 2026 budget, as amended to reflect the new levy amounts, to the full Will County Board. Speaker VanDuyne stated he would work with the county executive and finance staff to identify specific cuts needed to balance the budget before the final vote.