CARTHAGE CITY COUNCIL
BUDGET HEARING APRIL 21 st , 2026

The Budget Hearing of the Carthage City Council was held Tuesday,
April 21st, 2026, in City Hall, 538 Wabash Avenue. Mayor Smith called the
meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Answering to roll call were Aldermen Smith,
Roberts, Steinkamp, Long, Biondolino and Walker. Treasurer Edris was absent.
Mayor Smith reported to the Council that W&S Contracting has submitted a final
pay request in the amount of $24,750.00 for demolition of the 6 properties
included in this round of the Strong Community Grant Project. Rich Sealock, the
Public Works Director and Jacque from Architechnics have both signed off on the
demolitions and stated that all work has been completed.
Motion was made by Alderman Walker, seconded by Biondolino to approve
payment of $24,750.00 to W&S Contracting. All six Aldermen voted “yes”.
Clerk Roberts proceeded to go through the proposed 2026-27 budget page by
page. As presented, revenues exceed expenses by $40,000.00 in the General
Fund. Estimated cash on hand at the end of the year is over $2,990,000.00.
The General Fund will have to upfront all the expenses for the Strong
Communities Grant that the City received, this will then be reimbursed from the
Strong Communities Grant Fund. The total remaining amount of the grant is
$342,000.00.
The Administration Department has been reviewing the code book and $21,000.00
has been included in the budget for recodification of the entire code book. Also,
$12,000.00 has been included in the budget for engineering to finalize the FEMA
flood maps.
The Police Department is in need of new starcom portable radios. This item is
budgeted at a cost of $35,000.00 for purchase of the portable radios.
The Fire Department would like to purchase an Ultra high pressure pump to be
fitted on the new Fire Truck. This item is budgeted at a cost of $20,000.00. The
Fire Department is also requesting to include the purchase of 4 sets of turn out
gear totaling $18,000.00.

The Street Department will be repairing the storage area for street salt, this item is
budgeted at $70,000.00. The City is also including $75,000.00 for the
construction of a new sidewalk on North Scofield street from South Questover
drive to Center street. This amount also includes engineering fees for the sidewalk
project.
The Street Department would also like to include $50,000.00 for the purchase of a
new F-250 pickup truck.
The City has also recently established a new ICS checking account. Through this
account funds are transferred from several other City accounts and produce a
higher interest rate than a traditional checking account. The Budget reflects total
transfers from several accounts in the amount of $775,000.00. These funds will be
transferred from the General Fund, Equipment Fund, Capital Improvement Fund,
Water O&M Fund and Sewer Fund. The “Sweep Account” will also transfer
funds back into these accounts in the total budgeted amount of $750,000.00.
The City will be using Capital Improvement Funds for road repairs in the amount
of $30,000.00. An additional $75,000.00 is included for engineering fees on the
Deep Well project and Dearwester Road. $242,000.00 of Capital Improvement
funds are budgeted to pay D&L for work on the Second Deep Well at the Water
Treatment plant. This will give the City redundance in a water source for the City
which is required by the Illinois EPA.
Motor Fuel Tax funds continue to decline but the City continues to take over more
roads. The township is paid on length of roads, while the City’s pay is based on
population, so this will be an ongoing challenge to keep up the street maintenance.
Motor Fuel Tax funds were not expended during the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget
on the repair of streets due to a reporting error by the engineering company in
charge of the City’s motor fuel. Due to this fact a large amount of funds has been
budgeted this year to try to make up for the fact that no work was done in the
previous year. The City has also put $35,000.00 in the budget for the purchase of
a new camera system at the intersection of Buchanan and Madison.
As the TIF district nears the end of its 23-year life span the City has seen an
increase in requests for TIF funds. This budget includes a larger amount of
development expense than in previous years in anticipation of more funds being
requested.

The Water O&M Fund includes $35,000.00 for the repair and placement of fire
hydrants at Questover drive and Lincoln street.
The City included $75,000.00 for engineering on a design for a new sewer facility.
The construction of a new facility would be started in the future but a facility
design would help the City get started on that process and would also help with
acquiring funds through grants or loans if needed.

The Council will hold a year end Meeting on Tuesday April 28 th at 7:00 p.m.
Clerk Roberts will post the changes.
Motion to adjourn from Alderman Walker, seconded by Biondolino at 8:03 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,

Scott Roberts
City Clerk