The fourth quarter of 2026 might be on the horizon, but Naperville officials are in the midst of planning for next year’s municipal budget that kicks in at the start of the new year.
Municipal department heads and the city council held the first of potentially three workshops on Monday, Sept. 21, to hash over details of next year’s spending plan. The initial workshop focused solely on capital improvement projects.
A big picture snapshot of the 2027 CIP
Based on details shared with the council, the proposed 2027 CIP clocks in at $210.7 million and represents a 10.6% increase from the CIP budget in place this year.
“The CIP provides a multi-year roadmap for the city’s infrastructure and capital needs, rather than looking at projects one budget year at a time,” City Manager Doug Krieger said. “These types of projects often have long lead times and can span several years, from initial planning and design through construction and completion.”
The presentation Krieger and other city staffers provided at the workshop broke the CIP budget into one of three buckets: utility improvements (60%), transportation investments (19%), and a misc. category (21%) that encompasses such items as work along the Riverwalk, vehicle replacements, and technology upgrades.
While some of the CIP items are new, others represent ongoing projects. This especially is true of the utility-related work.
“In many instances, dollars programmed for 2027 will fund the continuation of previously approved multi-year initiatives, such as the upgrades at the Springbrook Water Treatment Plant,” Interim Finance Director Traci Marrocco indicated in a memo.
Downtown parking plans scrutinized
Several specific capital items bubbled to the surface as discussion items as the council hashed over granular details at the recent workshop.
Downtown parking, in particular, was a focal point, as several speakers weighed in during public forum on a potential shift in infrastructure project prioritization in the heart of the community.
Based on the updated long-range CIP timeline, potential funding for the construction of a proposed Nichols Library parking deck might not occur until 2031. A total of $36 million, spread across two years, has been earmarked toward constructing the Nichols facility in 2031 and 2032.
Katie Wood, former executive director of Downtown Naperville Alliance, was one of multiple representatives in the immediate area who spoke to the change.
“We continue to hear the same thing: Downtown needs more parking,” Wood said. “Our businesses tell us parking limits their ability to do more business, developers tell us prospective tenants ask about parking when considering downtown Naperville, consumers tell us this repeatedly.”
Monica Conners, president of Naperville Development Partnership, also spoke to the proposed shift.
“Downtown Naperville brings our city what we need economically — tremendous property tax revenue, which helps the schools and the city,” Conners said. She later stated, “If we continue to delay this project, it will only cost the community more in impacts to lost sales tax revenue and higher construction costs.”
Another change within the city’s downtown projects CIP budget proposal involves proposed deck rehabilitation work at the municipal center, with a total of $9 million earmarked in 2027 and 2028.
Krieger said work on the existing municipal center deck was bumped up on the recommended priority list, based on a needs assessment that more recently was conducted on the structure.
“The municipal deck is now 35 years old and has wear and tear and some structural maintenance that needs to be conducted,” Krieger said.
Councilmembers weighed in with a variety of thoughts on downtown parking at the recent workshop.
“I kind of look at our downtown as the anchor to the city,” Councilman Benjamin White said of his support for investments within the area. “It’s kind of like putting in a Walmart in a big shopping center.”
Councilman Patrick Kelly questioned the total $37.5 million price tag earmarked for the Nichols parking project. In addition to the $36 million toward construction, additional dollars are proposed for design and engineering work between 2027 and 2030.
“My overarching thought is for an almost $40 million project, it really should be something that we decide, one way or the other, based on the data and the real need of it,” Kelly said in speaking to his desire for more information on the rationale behind the project.
Mayor Scott Wehrli, meanwhile, pointed out portions of the downtown food and beverage tax collected are to be appropriated toward funding parking decks. He questioned the rationale of assessing such a fee if deck projects do not take place.
Riverwalk and Naper Settlement also discussed
During deliberations, two other sites within the city — the Riverwalk and Naper Settlement — were also hashed over as the council combed through details within the CIP.
Based on the information Krieger and Marrocco shared with the council, Riverwalk work within the 2027 CIP totals $7.6 million. The lion’s share — $6.8 million — is earmarked toward a south extension that would further Riverwalk improvements from Hillside Road to Martin Avenue.
The balance, based on the proposal, is to be applied toward a myriad of other smaller projects, including the completion of the North Central College Riverwalk Park, the Rotary Hill irrigation system, and replacement of the Webster Street covered bridge roof.
To date, the Riverwalk Foundation has secured $1.5 million in external funding toward the improvements.
Patrick Kennedy, former chair of the Riverwalk Commission, weighed in during public forum on the Riverwalk investments.
“I personally believe that the return on investment for anything we do with our Riverwalk — our businesses, our households and home values, and our reputation — is all driven by this jewel we have in the Riverwalk in this city,” Kennedy said.
A feasibility study for Naper Settlement for long-range site plans at the venue is part of a $13.6 million proposed package of facilities-related CIP items included in the 2027 budget.
Rena Tamayo-Calabrese, president and CEO of Naper Settlement, spoke to the $145,000 in 2027 specifically earmarked for the organization’s study and assessment work, which includes the potential consideration of relocating four historical structures within the premises.
“There has been no long-range site plan for Naper Settlement for over 20-some years,” Tamayo-Calabrese said. Speaking to future visioning at the site, she added, “What we are looking to do is really to tell a much more full town and country story.”
Other expenditures in the 2027 CIP
At the workshop, Krieger, Marrocco, and several department heads provided insight into other items included in the proposed 2027 CIP budget. Among them:
- Continued investments of $34.4 million in the year ahead toward site improvements at the water utility’s Springbrook site.
- 6.7 miles worth of major water main replacement projects, totaling $27.4 million. The work would encompass all or portions of Cress Creek, Bay Colony, Olympic Terrace, Ogden Avenue, and Lawnmeadow.
- $29.8 million in 2027 capital investments toward the Naperville Electric Utility, with continued funding toward the ongoing efforts to underground lines.
- $1.04 million toward continued renovations at the Naperville Police Department facility.
The council’s next workshop, scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, will focus on the city’s operating budget. If needed, the third budget workshop has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Krieger said the city’s full budget proposal will officially be published on Friday, Oct. 9.
The council will adopt the budget and corresponding property tax levy at meetings in December.
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