The Village of Peotone reviewed its draft budget, which runs from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, at the March 9 board meeting.
“We continue to see growth from revenues from the travel center, the hotel, motel taxes, video gaming,” Village Administrator Nick Palmer said.
The village’s financial consultant Annmarie Mampe discussed the proposed budget in more detail.
“We are running at a slight deficit, for just the fiscal year, of about $148,000, meaning our expenditures are $148,000 more than our revenues just for this upcoming budget year. But, like I said, we’re still maintaining the fund balance the board has approved,” Mampe said.
Mampe said the village has significant grant revenue in 2026, which is not guaranteed in the upcoming year. Most of the grant funding came through ARPA funds awarded by Will County.
TIF funding has been growing, a result of the travel center and hotel. Mampe added the village takes a conservative approach to revenue, so it doesn’t over budget what they have to cover in actual expenditures.
The proposed budget is available online in the village’s board packet for the March 9 meeting. It will be voted on at the March 23 meeting.
Peotone Police Chief David DeMik reported the village had its first criminal event at the Travel Stop. A stolen vehicle was discovered after the officer ran the license plates, which were from Montana. The officer conducted a felony traffic stop, and the individual was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.
Public Works reported that one of its employees is leaving, and the job opening will be posted soon.
The village approved new computer servers because the current servers have reached the end of their life and soon will be unable to be updated. The new servers will cost the village $18,318.65.
“She really worked this price,” Palmer said. “It started at a lower number. They thought we were going to have to get a bigger server. It came in at a much higher price, but we kind of scratched and clawed and got it down to a more affordable price.”
At one point, he said the cost was estimated at about $30,000.
The new servers will come with a new server rack.
Additionally, the village is continuing work on updating its finance system, which was approved in October. A change order for $3,005 was approved to include cloud-based timesheets, which the village had previously passed on but decided would be beneficial. This was a budgeted expense for 2027.
Mandi Jarvis from Pavlov Media, an internet provider in Peotone, attended the meeting to reassure everyone there is a local contact if anyone needs assistance.
The village is transitioning to Pavlov for internet service.
“If you guys are having any issues with getting connected, need to be connected, or you guys are having any issues with the repairs being made to your property from the install process, then I would be the person you guys would contact to get all of those things straightened out,” Jarvis said.
Jarvis left her phone number with the board, along with pamphlets with her contact information for residents.
A temporary liquor license and amplifier permit were granted for Cornerstone Coffee House, All Automotive, and Game On! Bar and Grill for its car cruise on June 20. At the last board meeting, the board approved the special event and road closure.
The UPS store in the Travel Center is officially open for business. Mayor Chris Vieaux said it was nice to have that in town, as he had an Amazon purchase to return, and it popped up right away as an option without having to travel to find a UPS store.
An executive session was held, but no action was taken when the board reconvened.
Following the board meeting on March 11, the village issued a statement to address resident concerns about a potential data center development.
The village stated it “seeks to be as transparent as possible on all village business” and explained it regularly meets with developers, large and small, about the potential for development in Peotone.
Ultimately, unless a developer makes a proposal, the village typically doesn’t announce such conversations, officials said.
However, in light of the residents’ concern, the village offered a statement about Geronimo Power, a solar, wind, and data center developer, who first approached the village in late January.
Geronimo contacted some landowners to discuss possibilities, along with village trustees, to review potential concepts. The developer is not requesting any non-disclosure agreements that would prevent the village from commenting, answering questions, or discussing the project with its residents.
Geronimo also is reviewing several other sites and has not made any formal proposals or plans, nor has it contracted or purchased land for a Peotone project. They advised the village they intend to make decisions, in late April, on whether they still are considering Peotone.
The village expressed concerns regarding water, power, noise, and related issues. Geronimo is conducting due diligence and will respond.
“If a formal proposal/plan is submitted, the village will engage in public meetings, where the public will be able to learn more, ask questions, and voice their opinions, and public engagement would include public meetings and Q&A sessions,” the village stated.