The Hinsdale Village Board is set to approve a 2025 budget Tuesday, Dec. 17, that includes $4.77 million for capital projects.
The capital improvement plan identifies major projects, along with funding sources, for expenses higher than $10,000, according to village documents.
“Capital assets are the largest improvements for most governments, with the use typically spanning many years, if not decades,” said Carrie Dittman, the village’s chief financial officer. “It requires forethought and planning to maintain capital infrastructure in the condition necessary to preserve and enhance the vitality and quality of life of the village’s citizens, business and visitors.”
In 2025, 40 percent of capital costs involve vehicle replacements and 30 percent are for building improvements, Dittman said at the Nov. 19 village board meeting.
The biggest capital line item for 2025 is $850,000 for a new fire engine, which will be put toward a $1.67 million aerial snorkel truck trustees agreed to buy earlier this year. The village will pay for the truck on delivery in 2026.
The village will be able to sell its ladder truck once it acquires the snorkel, rather than spending $2 million to replace it in 2029. The current engine will not be replaced in 2030, saving another $900,000. The fire department also will replace an ambulance next year at a cost of $375,000. The village obtained grant money for the fire truck and ambulance purchases.
The public works department also plans to buy a new roadway truck for $270,000 and a new forestry chipper for $115,000. The roadway truck is a 3-ton plow truck that will serve primarily to remove snow and ice in the winter and haul dry material in the summer, according to George Peluso, public services director for the village.
The public works department has a fleet of 45 vehicles, more than half of the 72 owned by the village. Sixteen are assigned to the police department, nine to the fire department and two to village inspectors.
The village will spend $600,000 in 2025 to design and build phased improvements around the public services facility site, which includes parking lot paving and site storage improvements, Peluso said.
Other expenses in the capital plan are
• $300,000 for Memorial Building mechanical items
• $197,000 for Brook Park court repairs
• $180,000 for Robbins Park playground replacement (covered by donation)
• $139,000 for police department elevator
• $127,000 for Stough Park court repairs
• $115,000 for forestry chipper
• $114,129 for parking deck pedestrian improvements (grant funded)
• $112,000 for Symonds Drive underground wiring
• $80,000 for geographic information system
The village also sets aside an amount each year for annual capital expenses. The 2025 budget includes
• $50,000 for Woodlands rain gardens phase 1 reconstruction
• $42,000 for personal computer replacements
• $25,000 for state light pole and lamp replacements
• $25,000 for brick crosswalks
• $25,000 for street sign replacement
The street sign replacement is a new program the village is implementing in 2025 to bring consistency and compliance to street signs, Dittman said. The budget also includes a draft five-year capital plan for 2025-29 that totals more than $16.5 million, with new items added annually for the fifth year, she said.
“Village staff reviews previous items of years one to four and updates them for changes in cost and priority,” Dittman commented. “Additional items may be added or projects moved up soon, especially if the village is able to purchase them via grant funds, or when the condition has deteriorated such that increased maintenance costs are not as feasible as replacement, such as with vehicles/equipment.
“All departments collaborate and prioritize the Year 1 projects in the event anticipated funding is not available and certain projects must be deferred,” she added.
