Looking ahead to Oak Park budget impacts for 2028 

As the Village of Oak Park’s proposed 2027 budget and property tax levy moves into review and adoption phases, there are two notable topics that are not expected to have a fiscal impact until 2028: expected full staffing in the police department and the new police department capital project. Police departments across the country have experienced staffing shortages over the past several years, and Oak Park has not been an exception. In recent years, there have been 20 to 25 open staff positions across the village each year with most of the vacancies in the police department, said Chief Financial Officer Kevin Bueso. Oak Park has struggled with both recruitment and retention of officers coupled with ongoing retirements. Bueso said the finance department estimated about 10 to 15 vacancies in 2027 for budgeting purposes which makes up the majority of an estimated $4 million savings allowance from village-wide vacancies in the overall 2027 budget. The savings amount accounts