# Finance & Budget Committee Meeting 11-4-2026

The City of Evanston Finance & Budget Committee met November 4, 2026, to discuss the proposed FY2027 budget, capital improvement program (CIP), pension assumptions, and several project expenditures. The committee voted unanimously to give the proposed budget a negative recommendation to the City Council, while noting that revisions and additional position-review information were still expected. Potential budget amendments discussed included about $2.2 million in reductions, such as lowering the transfer to the special assessment fund from $600,000 to $250,000 and reducing the proposed non-union wage increase from 2% to 1%; these measures were not approved as a package. The committee separately voted to recommend an additional 0.5-percentage-point reduction to the property-tax levy loss factor. It also recommended retaining a 6.5% investment assumption for the 2026 police and fire pension actuarial valuations, with the possibility of revisiting it next year.

On capital and procurement matters, the committee approved advancing a water plant 4,160-volt electrical-system reliability project change order to the City Council. The change order was described as having an upper limit of $1.5 million, with the final amount still under negotiation after mercury was found during excavation; a separate engineering change order was also pending. Members discussed an unbudgeted $497,000 contract award to MG Mechanical Contracting to replace the service center’s server-room cooling units, but the item was for discussion only and no award vote was recorded. Staff presented potential CIP deferrals or reductions totaling up to $2.93 million, including discussion of participatory budgeting and Fountain Square improvements; no final CIP action is evident in the transcript. The committee also reviewed planned ARPA-funded projects, including Church Street Metra underpass and plaza lighting and design work for the Ashland Arts District, which were expected to go to the City Council. Public commenters called for an independent forensic audit of motor fuel tax funds, but no committee action on that request was recorded.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Information Technology
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** November 04, 2026

### Sources
- [Finance & Budget Committee Meeting 11-4-2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr_hdeiVXY4) - City of Evanston, IL