Rockford Finance and Personnel Committee Meeting - July 13, 2026
Rockford Finance and Personnel Committee Meeting - July 13, 2026
The Rockford Finance and Personnel Committee met on Monday, July 13, 2026 at 5:30 PM at City Hall (425 E. State Street, Rockford, IL). The committee reviewed the May 2026 financial report, discussed the creation of a relocation fund using casino revenue, and approved multiple contracts, grants, and property transactions. Notable discussions included the scope of the relocation fund and the sustainability of grant-funded positions at the Family Peace Center. All agenda items were approved.
Financial Discussion (Information Only)
- May 2026 Revenue and Expense Report: Finance staff reported that general fund revenue is about 2% under budget ($1.5 million) year-to-date through May, driven by underperformance in sales tax (4% under budget, -$385,000) and Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT) (26% under budget, -$1.9 million). However, expenses are also under budget by $3.9 million, resulting in no year-to-date deficit. Capital (CAP) fund sales tax is performing well at 14% over budget ($795,000). Staff noted that seasonal adjustments and delayed reimbursements may improve revenue in the second half of the year. Aldermen asked about specific fund balances (capital lease, capital improvement, building maintenance) and staffing levels; staff agreed to provide additional detail separately. Additionally, an update on the Neighborhood Standards Department was provided: staff aim to present a software RFP award and reorganization plan on July 27.
Discussion Items
- Use of Casino Funds for Qualified Relocation (Up to $200,000): Staff proposed establishing a fund to assist households forced to relocate due to circumstances beyond their control (e.g., condemnation, natural disasters). Eligibility criteria mirror existing federal relocation programs but allow flexibility on income thresholds. Discussion focused on whether the fund should prioritize residents affected by the Riverview mobile home park situation, but the final policy applies citywide. The fund is not automatically annual; the council can appropriate additional funds in the future if needed. The committee approved the request.
- Settlement Agreement with Maccabee Capital, LLC ($231,272.51): This item was held until after closed session. Upon reconvening, the committee approved the settlement for property damage at 401 East State Street with no additional discussion.
- DOJ Grant to Improve Criminal Justice Response (ICJR) ($500,000): The grant funds one full-time legal advocate and one part-time case manager at the Family Peace Center for three years. Discussion covered the roles (court navigation and order of protection assistance), salary range ($45,000-$55,000), and sustainability. The director noted that five of the center's 11-12 positions are city-funded; others are grant-funded. She explained that if the grant lapses, they would seek renewal or alternative funding. Committee approved.
Consent Calendar
The following items were approved without significant discussion:
- Approval of vouchers totaling $18,293,651.23
- Sale of city-owned property at 218 South Independence Avenue to Christie C. Williams under the Mow-to-Own program
- Plan of acquisition of 4100 East State Street by the Rockford Board of Library Trustees (one alderman expressed opposition, preferring taxable use)
- Award of RFP for Environmental Review & Assessment Services ($84,450 annual estimate, with four one-year extensions)
- Renewal of Neighborly Software grant management contract ($29,672 for one year)
- Award of bid for 2026 City-Wide Pavement Marking (Thermo) to Precision Pavement Markings ($85,211.70)
- Award of bid for City Wide Street Repairs Group No. 6 (Alleys) to Stenstrom Excavation ($434,060.50)
- Award of joint purchasing contract for Command Vehicle Upfitting to MacQueen Equipment ($90,671.36)
- Acceptance of Illinois Attorney General’s Office Violent Crime Victims Assistance Grant ($63,505, no match) for a full-time crisis navigator
Key Outcomes
- All agenda items were approved. The committee moved into closed session to discuss pending litigation and labor negotiations, then reconvened to approve the settlement agreement and adjourn.
Meeting Transcript
For May 2026, that's all we thank you. General fund revenue is continuing to perform as we have seen throughout the year so far. Right now, after three payment sales tax is about four percent under budget or about three hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars. Uh the the area of concern is replacement tax or PPRT, uh, which we know was a significant shortfall in 2025, is currently about 26% under budget or 1.9 million dollars. Um again, we'll continue to monitor that. We're about halfway through the year, and um also anticipate receiving projections for next year's PPRT receipts from the state um in August. Um overall, our general fund revenue is about two percent under budget or one point approximately one point five million dollars on the expense side. Um, all of our uh operating departments are under budget, uh except for the fire department. We're a total of three point nine million dollars under budget in total in the general fund year to date. Uh we anticipate um certainly catching up as capital expenses are um continue to get incurred, and um seasonal weather related uh expenses are uh experienced later in the year. In the CAP fund, uh CAP sales tax is performing very well, 795,000 dollars over budget or about 14 percent year to date after three disbursements, uh motor fuel taxes right about on budget, and the redevelopment fund is uh is pretty much on budget, about thirty thousand dollars over uh the projection on revenue year to date. I'm happy to answer any specific questions anyone has. Thank you. Any questions? All of each. Then are you saying that uh we have no deficit through May? Uh yes, through through May, uh while we have revenue under performance, we also have expense underperformance. So we're we are um we are under budget year to date in total. There's no deficit year to date yet. By just a million five. Uh uh, we're a million a million five under budget on revenue, but three point nine uh also underspent year to date. Okay. Thank you, sir. Sure. That makes three weeks. Oh, thank you so much for allowing me to speak on your committee. Um I'm just curious for um funds such as the like capital lease fund and the capital improvement fund for the building fund. Where do we see those balances in this information? We don't provide monthly reports on all of the city's operating funds. There are several. Um this uh report uh we wouldn't have the capacity to provide that level of analysis on a monthly basis. Certainly, if anyone has questions about a specific funds performance, we'd be happy to answer those questions directly. Um we you know we monitor from a budget perspective throughout the year, but actually compiling it into a report to provide to city council, we just don't have the staff time to include every single fund that the city um that the city operates. Um that said though, if you have questions at any point on the status of those funds, you know, obviously we report on revenue performance for the CAP funds, understanding that if revenue underperforms, we may need to to rethink our capital uh projects for the year. So we want to keep an eye on those and make sure that those are at least performing at budget level, so we don't need to make any revisions in the the program, the capital improvement program for the year. Um but other than that, we don't we just don't have the resources to be able to provide a comprehensive monthly year-to-date report. Okay. Well then if I could I get specific then to ask for whenever you get a chance to send to me the capital lease fund, the capital improvement fund, the building fund and the building maintenance fund. Okay, those are the top four, and then I just kind of want to get a kind of understanding because I know that we're in the middle of the year, so certain things just haven't gone through yet. Some things just haven't hit yet. So when I see professional legal, you know, uh just certain line items that have not been utilized, and they're similar line items when I see the supplemental budget, they're um they're not being fully utilized right, and then they are switched out at the end when we do the supplemental uh appropriation. Yeah, sure. And then we come back to current information, and they're still underutilized. So those are the questions that I have. Like are they continuously underutilized? Are we saying that we need this amount and budgeting for this amount every year because we might have something come up so we plan for that? I just kind of want to understand certain line items specifically. So I'll start with those ones that I okay. I just you said capital lease fund, capital improvement fund, and building maintenance fund. Building there's I believe there's a difference between a building fund and a building maintenance fund.
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