Councilmembers raised concerns about which capital investment projects should be prioritized in the 2026 proposed budget at their Truth in Taxation hearing Monday.
City staff introduced the proposed 2026 budget at the council’s Oct. 13 meeting, intending to pass it at the Nov. 24 meeting before Cook County’s December deadline. At the hearing, City Council reviewed tax levy ordinances up for discussion, including the levy for its capital investment projects.
Among the contentious projects are proposed repairs on the namesake water fixture in Evanston’s Fountain Square — budgeted to cost $2.5 million — and attempts to address “legacy” parks that have fallen into disrepair within budget.
“It just seems like it’s really hard to explain to residents that that much money is being considered being spent to redo something downtown, and at the same time, we’re talking about the cost and difficulty of providing what I think most people will consider pretty bread-and-butter municipal parks in neighborhoods,” Ald. Tom Suffredin (6th) said.
Director of Parks and Recreation Audrey Thompson loosely defined Legacy Parks as parks that have not seen improvements in about 30 years. According to Thompson and City Engineer Lara Biggs, some parks are not in ideal locations — like Southwest Park, which they said “exists off of an alley” — or are in close proximity to other parks, meaning they would not be worth the money spent on repairs to playground equipment.
A possible solution to parks facing disrepair is to convert them to open green spaces, Thompson said. Suffredin raised concerns about some of these new green spaces being equated to “vacant lots.” Thompson said that prioritizing which parks to repair protects the budget and elevates quality of life for Evanston residents.
“I am frankly embarrassed many times when our community members are looking at other parks in other districts and saying how those other parks and playgrounds are up to date,” Thompson said. “We are woefully behind.”
Also on the agenda was a discussion and presentation regarding a restructuring of solid waste services and fees presented by Solid Waste Coordinator Brian Zimmerman. The proposed changes would fix a budget deficit and allow the Solid Waste Fund to achieve financial self-sufficiency without having to rely on the general fund.
The proposal would introduce 35-gallon waste carts at the current monthly price of 65-gallon carts, $11.93, and increase the price of 65-gallon carts to $14 each month. The plan would also include a $1 per month fee for special pickups and replace a 9-month fee for food and waste service with an opt-out $7 monthly fee.
“This is going to be a big hit,” Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) said. “It is about double of generally the solid waste increase in fees.”
Council will continue to discuss the proposed 2026 budget in upcoming meetings to prepare to pass it before the new year.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated which councilmember raised concerns about the new green spaces. The Daily regrets the error.
Email: [email protected]
X: @rubywright0
Bluesky: rubydowling.bsky.social
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Councilmembers hesitant to raise property taxes for proposed 2026 budget
— Waste service price bump to move to Council with Finance and Budget Committee recommendation
