Champaign Approves $254 Million Budget With New Firefighters, Police Roles, and Homelessness Manager

The numbers behind the vote

Champaign City Council unanimously adopted the city's 2026-2027 budget on Tuesday night. The plan calls for $254 million in expenditures against expected revenues of $225 million, according to a report from Illinois Public Media News.

Mayor Deb Feinen credited city staff for the city's fiscal health.

"And although it sort of comes with no fanfair, it's a really big deal," Feinen said. "We have amazing staff that's gotten us here, and we are in great fiscal shape because of that good stewardship, so thank you all."

The gap between expenditures and revenues is driven by large one-time capital projects, the city said. Those projects are funded on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning the money is already allocated before work begins.

New positions across city departments

The budget funds several new roles across city departments:

• Champaign Fire Department: Three new firefighters, a community engagement coordinator, an emergency management coordinator, and a finance technician
• Champaign Police Department: A Digital Forensic Supervisor, a Professional Standards Sergeant, a Background Investigator, and an additional office worker
• City government: A three-year Homelessness and Community Services Manager, a two-year Management Analyst, an Impact Outreach Worker, a Payroll Manager, a Human Resources Technician, an additional city attorney, an economic development specialist, an economic development technician, and four yard waste management workers

The police department will also receive a bomb disposal unit trailer, wellness support trailers, and mobile surveillance video trailers, according to the IPM report.

Capital projects and infrastructure spending

Major infrastructure allocations include:

• $2.5 million for reconstruction of Park Avenue
• $1.25 million for a Public Works storage facility
• $825,000 for traffic signals at the intersection of Mattis Avenue and Sangamon Drive

The council also passed an ordinance amending its bike share agreement to allow bike share companies to operate in Champaign, according to IPM News.

Council goals shape spending priorities

The budget aligns with the council's 2025-2027 goals, which include:

• Increasing police services downtown
• Identifying a youth program to encourage civic engagement
• Implementing mental health emergency response
• Continuing street outreach and youth programming under the Community Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint

The homelessness prevention effort has been a separate focus. Council member Kathy Shannon told IPM News that housing is foundational to everything else the city does.

"You can't have economic development if you don't have people being housed," Shannon said. "Children can't learn if they're not housed. Every single other item that we care about, it doesn't happen if people don't have safe, secure housing."

A proposed homelessness prevention blueprint carries a budget request of $2.4 million, according to a separate IPM report. The plan includes expanding emergency rental assistance, rapid rehousing funds, and exploring the feasibility of a day center for unhoused people.

Looking ahead: economic uncertainty

The city acknowledged in its budget proposal that the U.S. economy is facing a slow-growth market. Higher import prices, a cooling labor market, and rising gas prices create uncertainty for the remainder of 2026, the city said.

Officials noted the city may need to seek additional funding to cover rising costs. Those include anticipated health insurance increases, economic development needs, housing and homeless services needs, and a backlog of infrastructure maintenance and facility repairs, according to IPM News.

The city also recognized that financial projections show its ability to fund new initiatives may decrease significantly in coming years.

The fiscal year runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, following the state of Illinois' fiscal calendar.