The Hillcrest Village Board of Trustees has unanimously approved its fiscal 2025-2026 budget.

Village President Rick Rhoads said during the Wednesday, Sept. 17, meeting that the budget is similar in size to recent years. Hillcrest’s budget for the coming year includes $75,000 budgeted for a new salt shed, $50,000 for a new maintenance and snow plow truck to replace a current truck that has rust issues, and money for outdoor Christmas decorations at Village Hall, Village Clerk Dawn Bearrows said.

Trustee

The board voted unanimously to appoint and swear in James Wiley as a new village trustee after a recommendation from Rhoads. Wiley has lived in Hillcrest for 30 years and will serve as the village’s streets and grounds trustee.

“He’s been in the village for 30 years,” Rhoads said. “I think he’d be a great addition to the board.”

Wiley’s appointment brings Hillcrest to a full board of seven. The board has recently seen resignations of Trustees Jose Huerta and Joe Thompson and the appointment of Trustee Patricia Garcia.

Grocery tax

The board also voted unanimously to put a grocery sales tax in place.

The state’s 1% grocery tax is set to expire in January 2026. This past year, the state legislature decided to let the grocery tax expire. State law now allows for a local tax of up to 1% to replace those revenues for local municipalities. The village needed to put a grocery tax in place by Oct. 1 in order for it to be in effect Jan. 1, 2026.

The grocery tax will impact Casey’s General Store and any future business in the village that sells groceries.

Solar

The board tabled a vote on a special use permit and variance for the construction and operation of a 49-megawatt solar farm north of Twombly Road due to additional consideration and a public hearing being needed.

The village previously approved the special use permit for the solar farm in 2021 and extended it in 2022. Work on the project has seen delays and construction has not started, which made the project’s special use permit through the village expire.

The project is now owned by Greenbacker, which purchased it from Enel Green Power, which submitted for the first two special use permits. The project has seen no changes besides the need for a special use permit after its previous versions expired.

The project has seen delays due to interconnection agreement issues with ComEd and the sale of the project. The project recently cleared a hurdle and came to an agreement with ComEd and is in the preliminary design and construction phase.

If the special use permit is approved, construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026 and be completed by May 2028. Greenbacker also has plans for a solar field in the same area south of Twombly Road that it is working on with the city of Rochelle and would be constructed at the same time.

In the past, the village has heard public comments against the proposed solar farm from nearby property owners.

Village Attorney Paul Chadwick said Wednesday that additional consideration and a public hearing are needed due to a solar ordinance the village passed since the last special use permit that will allow it to charge building permit fees for the project. That ordinance will have to be amended to include language for solar on agricultural land, which it does not currently include. The matter will be revisited in October or November, Chadwick said.

Roadwork

Rhoads said Wednesday that the village is considering different options for resurfacing Hillcrest Avenue due to its deteriorating condition. He said the road would cost about $900,000 to completely reconstruct, and the village has considered only reconstructing a portion of it to start with.

Reconstructing all of Hillcrest Avenue and other east-west roads of Jeffrey Avenue and Scott Avenue in the area would cost around $2.7 million total. The village president said reconstruction is likely not feasible for the village and he’s working with Village Engineer Kaitlin Wright on options.

“We are looking for grants and other options to keep costs down,” Rhoads said. “Because the last thing I want to do is raise taxes.”

Halloween

Village Trustee Pam Pittman said Halloween trick or treating will be held in Hillcrest on Friday, Oct. 31. The village will offer candy for trick or treaters at Village Hall.