On Monday, April 21, the Kankakee City Council approved a resolution that will allow the city government to still receive funding beyond April 30. Mayor Chris Curtis explained the budget plan for the new fiscal year, which begins May 1, is not yet ready to be brought to the city council for its approval. He said he expects that to happen by the end of June.
In the interim, city departments will continue to be funded at levels consistent with this fiscal year’s budget. Kankakee commonly has used this tactic in recent years, although no specific reason was given for the delay this time.
Last year, uncertainty over whether the state legislature would remove the sales tax on food was used as the reason. As it turned out, the General Assembly did vote to remove the tax, but did not make the change effective until July 2026.
On another topic, Curtis said work on the reconstruction of Hobbie Avenue, on the city’s east side, will be completed by mid-June.