Streaming LIVE: Aurora Special Finance Committee Meeting | 10-20-2026

The City of Aurora, Illinois Special Finance Committee met on October 20, 2026, to begin reviewing the proposed 2027 city budget. Staff presented a draft with $603.7 million in expenditures, a 12% decrease from the 2026 original budget, and an estimated $577.3 million in revenues; the remaining gap was described as about $4.3 million. The proposed public-safety pension property-tax levy is $46.5 million, up 7.27%. The budget includes approximately $82.6 million for capital improvements, including neighborhood street work, lead service line replacement, the Orchard Road sound barrier, downtown parking-deck restoration, east-side fiber expansion, and New York Street bridge rehabilitation. Staff also described proposed gaming-tax allocations, including $2.5 million transferred to the General Fund and $600,000 to a new fiber utility fund. Members questioned the allocation of ward funds and gaming revenue, and requested additional detail on cost savings, staffing changes, and fund reserves.

Finance staff presented proposed department spending of about $8.4 million and decision packages totaling approximately $8.4 million citywide. Proposed Finance initiatives include OpenGov tax-revenue software to replace an outdated database, ongoing training for the OpenGov purchasing and bidding system, water-billing technology and staffing improvements, and replacement of radio-tower transceivers used to transmit meter data. Staff also reported that reverse-auction bidding has generated savings. These were budget proposals and discussion items; the committee did not approve a budget, contract award, or procurement. The committee voted to allow a member to participate remotely (4–0) and later adjourned (5–0).