Will County Committee Grapples with $8.9 Million Budget Gap After Contentious 0% Tax Levy Vote

Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025

Article Summary: The Will County Board Finance Committee held a contentious debate over how to close an $8.9 million budget shortfall created by the full board’s preliminary vote for a 0% tax levy increase, pitting calls for taxpayer relief against warnings of drastic cuts to essential county services.

Will County Budget Discussion Key Points:

• The committee met to discuss the ramifications of the full board’s preliminary vote to hold the 2026 property tax levy flat, which finance officials estimate will create an $8.9 million revenue gap compared to the proposed budget.

• The County Executive’s office warned a 0% levy would force cuts to core services, threatening funding for utilities, jury trials, first responder radios, and contractual obligations for employee benefits.

• In response, Board Member Destinee Ortiz presented a list of nearly $26 million in potential cuts she identified, arguing they would not impact wages, staffing, or public services.

• The debate highlighted a deep philosophical divide among officials on government spending, taxpayer burden, and the budget process itself.

JOLIET, IL – The Will County Board Finance Committee on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, grappled with the fallout from a preliminary full board vote to freeze the county’s property tax levy, a move that created an estimated $8.9 million budget shortfall and sparked a heated debate over taxpayer relief versus the funding of essential government functions.

The special meeting was dominated by the clash between the County Executive’s office, which warned of dire consequences, and a bloc of board members who argued the county can and must find savings without raising taxes.

Mike Mahoney, Chief of Staff for County Executive Jennifer Winfrey, told the committee that the cuts required to balance a budget under a 0% levy would be severe. “This does not pay our FICA taxes,” Mahoney stated. “This does not pay our debt service. This does not pay our utility bills. We will be turning the power off in four months with these proposed cuts. We will not pay for jury trials, so we will be denying the constitutional rights of Will County residents.”

The preliminary 0% levy vote, which passed the full board the prior week, directs staff to use the final 2024 levy amount as the starting point for the 2026 budget, forgoing any increase, including revenue from new property growth. Finance officials clarified the difference between that number and the executive’s proposed budget, which included a 2% levy increase, amounts to an $8.9 million gap.

Board members who supported the freeze pushed back strongly against the administration’s warnings. Board Member Destinee Ortiz (D-Romeoville) came prepared with a detailed list of nearly $26 million in potential cuts she compiled by analyzing the budget line by line.

“I identified nearly 26 million more in sensible cuts from the corporate fund that do not touch wages, staffing, or public services,” Ortiz said. “We’re talking about inflated supply budgets, padded professional service contracts, unnecessary contingencies, and overfunded line items that even the departments didn’t request.”

Ortiz criticized the executive’s office for creating “unnecessary fear” and argued that her findings prove there is room to tighten the budget significantly before asking taxpayers for more money. Her proposed cuts targeted line items for supplies, equipment, travel, and professional services, which she projected were budgeted far above their year-to-date spending.

The discussion revealed deep divisions on the board. Board Member Daniel J. Butler (R-Frankfort), who supported the 0% levy, defended bringing the issue directly to the board floor. “I vowed, you know what? From now on, I’ll take my business to the floor,” he said, explaining his frustration with behind-the-scenes pressure.

Conversely, Board Member Jacqueline Traynere (D-Bolingbrook) called the last-minute push for a 0% levy a “Hail Mary” and a “gotcha game” that circumvented the committee process.

“It’s been done in committee through cooperation of talking to the board members, talking to each other. But this last-minute playing gotcha, that’s not bipartisan,” Traynere said. “We made our bed. Now we got a lie in it.”

County Executive Jennifer Winfrey acknowledged the pressure on taxpayers but expressed doubt that cuts of the required magnitude could be found without severely impacting operations. “Can we find cuts here and there a little bit? Is it going to come up to 8 million? I don’t think so,” Winfrey stated. “I think it’s going to be extremely, extremely hard.”

The debate also drew comment from State Representative Jed Davis (R-75th District), who encouraged the board to find savings. “The affordability in Illinois… is a pressing issue that I know we’re all facing,” Davis said. “To be a leader and to provide real relief to people who are struggling day by day would be heroic.”

The committee took no action, but members will have to reach a compromise before the final budget and levy are approved in November.