‘We have so much to be proud of’: Morris begins new fiscal year looking back on accomplishments

The City of Morris began FY2025 Thursday morning by swearing in the reelected alderman and Mayor Chris Brown, who recapped what he called a successful FY2024.

Brown said FY2024 is the second year in a row that the city has come in with at least a balanced budget, since it had a surplus budget in FY2023. He said the city had a lot to be proud of from the previous year.

“We have made progress on key infrastructure projects, including the purchase of the land at Morris Municipal Airport, paving the way for our crosswind runway, which will be going up to bid this summer,” Brown said. “Our work on the 3B long-term flood control plan is moving forward as well.”

Brown said the I-80 water tower received maintenance and a paint job, and the quality of life improvements around the city are continuing.

“Westside Park has been fully renovated and stands as a shining example of pursuing grant dollars to help make the necessary improvements, which lift up our community,” Brown said. “As we sit here this morning, plans are underway for McKinley Park, and we are gearing up for another application for OSLAD grant dollars to apply toward the fields of Saratoga.”

Brown also said that Morris is receiving $800,000 from the State of Illinois to beautify and update the downtown as part of a project that will cost roughly $2.4 million.

He thanked the aldermen and the city staff for their hard work in the last budget year, and he said he’s looking forward to another year. He said the city of Morris is family-oriented, and he said the city has some wonderful people who work there.