The Monee Historical Society will get the village donation it has been pleading for, but the residential property tax rebate is on hiatus, at least for now.
Both items had been sticking points in finalizing the new village budget. Officials initially said there was simply no money available.
But historical society officials appealed to the village board during two recent meetings, begging for the full $25,000 that had been donated in previous years.
The contribution had been cut in half in early drafts of the 2027 budget.
Historical society officials and supporters told the village board the proposed $12,500 donation would mean that programs and events would have to be scrapped for the coming year.
The property tax rebate, meanwhile, failed to make it through the final budget vote.
While popular with property owners, the rebate was a hefty expense for the village, costing $388,000 last year. The village had 690 approved applications in 2025, with an average rebate of $560.
Officials said it was an expense the village could not afford this year.
According to Monee Finance Director Darryl Bulliner, total revenues in all funds for the new budget are $33,126,588, with expenditures of $37,721,026.
“The deficit is due to a road program that will utilize reserved funds,” he said.
“During the course of the year, sales tax has been lower than anticipated, he added. “These taxes are one of the major revenue streams the village has.”
The final budget was debated at length during board meetings on April 8 and 15.
Some trustees argued in favor of keeping both the historical society donation and the tax rebate.
But Trustee Michael Wilson countered, “Where are you going to get the money?”
Before voting, the board heard comments from a half-dozen historical society advocates, including President William “Billy” Morgan.
“The mission of the historical society is to educate, inspire, and enrich the community by preserving and promoting the rich history of the Monee area through its collections, events, and programming,” he said.
“We’re able to do this through the work of our one employee and through the work of countless volunteers from Monee and the surrounding area, who find their niche and help in the ways that speak to their interests and talents.
“Our request is to return our funding level to where it was in the past, $25,000. The cost of our employee is $33,000 a year. The village’s investment in MHS is an investment in the very fabric of Monee. Through our programming and collections, we are able to showcase the moral character of our town, the cultural landscape of our area. We’ve collected oral histories, showcased veterans stories, shared the story of Louis Jolliet and Daniel Burnham’s Plan for Chicago. We’ve worked with the school district, the library district, the township, and the village to form stronger bonds, connecting people in an increasingly disconnected world. We don’t charge for events, and we promote Monee wherever we go.
“We cut the ribbon on the Creamery building four years ago.” Morgan added.
“It’s now an historical landmark in Will County. We’re four years into this project, and our lease is until 2031. It takes time. We’ve been good stewards of the village’s money. We raised more than $14,000 on our own last year, not counting the village’s help. We did this through fundraisers, our gift shop, through selling copies of Our Roots Are Deep, and we’re working diligently to fundraise more. At the same time, we’re building out budgets to continue to be as good stewards as we can be – to exist for the long haul.
“There’s another budget line item that goes toward upkeep of the building. We would love to work with the village to find ways to reduce that budget line item, to take on more of the responsibilities there. We’re already maintaining the building more than you know, we’re in there running it day to day because we live in there, and we love it.
“For me this is about home, about building community, and sharing our love of history,” he said.
“It’s a space to be away from the hustle and bustle of the world. We don’t play games, we don’t play politics (that includes me!), we just want to share our love for our village.
“Thanks to having an employee, we have someone on-site three days a week – we want to keep those hours. We want to continue to have the free programming – attended by 25-30 people most times. With the new playground next door, more people are just wandering in. We want to continue to be in a position where we can talk to them, right in the center of town.
“I and the volunteers and community members who make up the historical society hope you’ll consider raising the line item to what we received in past years.”
During board discussion, Trustee John Henson said the majority of people he had talked with about the historical society donation were fine with ending it.
At the same time, he said the rebate puts money in family pockets. For many, that means being able to go out to dinner. “Maybe have a little extra money to spend that they don’t on a regular day.”
“I feel we should not do away with the tax rebate,” he said.
Henson also commented on the pay raises approved for elected officials in the new budget. He acknowledged the $100-per-meeting increases will not take effect until after the 2027 and 2029 elections. “So, technically we didn’t give ourselves raises. We gave whoever succeeds us raises. But people see that as giving ourselves raises.”
Henson noted he has not decided if he will run for office again, since his election is three years away.
But if he does seek another term, “I personally will give up my (additional) $100 if I’m re-elected. I’m not here beating my chest to get re-elected. I’m doing it for the people. That’s my stance. That’s where I’m coming from.”
Trustee Chuck Rakis, in his comments, said, “How do you explain to a bank that we have to take out a loan while we’re giving money away…only to then pay interest on the money we gave away?
“It just falls back on the residents, because that’s when tax hikes happen, and interest rates go up.
“I don’t think what we’re trying to do is never give it back (to the residents). I wish we could give it away every year, but we just can’t because we’re not in that position.”
Trustee Scott Youdris remarked, “My concern with doing away with the tax rebate is that there are still a good number of people in this town that the rebate check doesn’t represent a chance to go out for a nice dinner. I think there are some people that get that check and (it) is a chance to have Christmas under the tree for their kids, to keep the cable bill going, to keep the electric on for another month.
“So, it’s important to me to look at every aspect to see if we can make it happen. And if we can’t, we can’t. I do completely understand that.
“I believe in the projects that we have. They’re all important, and they need to get done because we’re growing.
“But my concern is with those people, you know, we started this to help as relief, and I just don’t believe people are past that point of relief, if there’s any way we can do it.”
Trustee Heidi Gonzalez opened her comments with praise for Finance Director Bulliner.
Like the other trustees who commended him, Gonzalez said, “I honestly don’t know how you do it. Thank God we have you, because you are always looking out for all of us and the best interests of this town.”
Gonzales recalled a previous discussion about the rebate and how it could benefit the most residents of Monee. She pointed out that the rebate actually benefits property owners who might not live in the village, and excludes renters, as well.
She said the board “did away with vehicle stickers,” and “nobody has to pay for pet licenses anymore,” both sources of income for the village.
“And this is something you might not realize: The credit card fees every time you pay the water bill online…or the bank fees every time you write a check…the village doesn’t pass on the cost to whomever is writing it. The village soaks up the cost to the tune of $30,000.
“So, that’s something that benefits everybody, every single resident in this town, not just the homeowners.
In the vote to approve the amended budget, which included the full historical society donation and the rebate, only Trustee Henson voted “no.”
“My personal feeling is that, if I can’t be…even if it’s a couple of things…if I can’t approve the whole budget, then I can’t speak my mind and my heart and my soul,” he said.
Conversely, Trustee Youdris said he would “support our budget, I think we’re doing an awful lot with it. We’re stretching it as far as, really, it can go, and then maybe just a little bit some. So I will be in favor of it, in spite of being opposed to the rebate portion of it.”
Morgan later voiced thanks for the board decision to make the full $25,000 donation this year.
“The Monee Historical Society is really central to the village in many ways, and I’m deeply appreciative of those elected to represent the people of the village (and charged with leading it into the future) recognize its unique place in the fabric of our community.”
“I appreciate them, as do the rest of the board and the members of the organization.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to work together with the village as partners for our area. We’d be happy to find some time soon to look over the second budget that we discussed – that with respect to maintenance of the building – to try to take on more on our own. I’d be excited to delve into the details of what is charged against that line item so we can get that down. I want to thank the board and the mayor again for the time they spent hearing us out last night, and so thoughtfully considering us. It was a long night, decisions are tough, and budgets are tight; we appreciate all they do.”