Roads, playground replacements part of larger Lake in the Hills budget

Improvements to village roads and recreational spaces are among the items on the Lake in the Hills 2022 budget village trustees will consider in meetings Tuesday and Thursday.

The village’s $37.8 million 2022 budget is about $7 million larger than last year, according to village documents, and will focus on wrapping up several projects throughout the village. While larger, it does not include a property tax increase.

Among the projects the village is budgeting for next year are road resurfacing projects and playground replacements.

Lake in the Hills plans to resurface Pingree Road and Industrial Drive, along with Reed Road over a quarter mile stretch from Lakewood Road and Annandale Drive. The village also plans to resurface the bike path along Reed Road during the project.

Several parks also will see improvements to recreational spaces next year. Sunset Park will have the bike path resurfaced and swing set replaced. Normandy Park will have its swing set replaced. The village also is setting aside funds to be used at parks throughout the village in coming years to replace aging playground equipment and do controlled burns.

The police department will be working toward several goals in 2022 as well. After announcing earlier in 2021 its intention to buy body cameras, the Lake in the Hills Police Department plans to have all officers and squad cars outfitted with cameras at some point in 2022, according to the proposed budget.

The department also is set to begin discussions about a new police facility. The department’s 2022 budget proposal includes funds to discuss designs for a new station.

Lake in the Hills will be spending more in 2022 mostly because of funds the village received in the federal coronavirus relief funds, and grants to complete upgrades at the village-owned airport, at the police department and on its roads, according to documents.

The village will receive $1.5 million next year in the second installment of relief from the American Rescue Plan, bringing the village’s total aid from the federal government for pandemic relief to $3.4 million. So far, next year’s budget only commits funds from that source to hiring a part-time social service coordinator and upgrading air flow systems at the village hall, according to the proposal.

Lake in the Hills will likely finish this year with a 10% budget surplus thanks to the grants and higher than expected tax revenue after it had planned for a 5% budget shortfall when crafting the budget last year, according to documents.

“This was fueled by a combination of government subsidies and increased consumer spending to offset the needs and challenges of the pandemic,” according to a budget analysis.

The village is not planning to increase property taxes on existing property despite increasing spending. The village will take new property taxes from new growth next year, but the levy for existing property owners will remain flat for the 12th consecutive year.

The village is set to increase water rates by 1% next year ahead of future system improvements and meter replacements.

The Village Board will review the proposed budget in a public hearing at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday before a vote on Thursday.