Municipalities watching oil prices
As the conflict in the Middle East continues with the focus on the Strait of Hormuz, area drivers aren’t the only ones watching the cost of oil.
Local municipal officials are monitoring the situation as well.
Buffalo Grove officials say that first quarter fuel expenses are about 8% or $6,000 higher than the same period in 2025. For March, officials say, the March expense, the first after the beginning of the hike in fuel prices, was up 31% or $7,300 from last year.
Despite the spike, officials say that so far, officials say that at “this point, there has not been a need to compensate for the increased costs based on their amount and the fact that prices have only been elevated for about seven weeks. However, we continue to monitor prices on a monthly basis.
They’re not alone. Officials in nearby Highland Park say city officials are “working diligently to manage our expenses and monitor our revenue in light of increasing costs in a variety of areas – fuel, construction, insurance, groceries etc.” City department directors hold weekly meetings to review major projects and initiatives. City officials say plans for the 2027 fiscal budget are beginning and that process includes “looking at historical trends in revenue and expenses, and assessing anticipated increases such as legislative impacts.”
Budget planning in Buffalo Grove takes a similar route, with officials saying development includes looking at the DOE (Department of Energy) spot pricing for the prior fiscal year, market conditions, and our actual fuel expense over the prior four years.
“We have always budgeted conservatively for fuel and even more so after the volatility in the fuel market in 2022 and 2023. As a result, fuel prices would need to remain at current levels for at six to nine more months to exceed our budget amount. The additional fuel expense would, of course, lead to higher operating expenses affecting the village’s bottom line to some extent,” officials say.
Nearby Vernon Hills is in similar shape with Buffalo Grove and Highland Park. “Despite the recent rise in fuel costs, we have not seen a major impact on the Village’s finances, Assistant Village Manager, Kate Buggy, says.
She adds the village’s fuel procurement procedures play a role. “We periodically go out to bid for a supplier, and vendors compete by offering a markup on market rate fuel costs. We then award the contract to the vendor with the lowest markup, which helps ensure we get competitive pricing. Our current contract is for a three-year period, 2025-2028.”
Buggy adds that Vernon Hills’ fiscal year 2027, which begins May 1, 2026, the village dropped these assumed rates to $4 per gallon for diesel and $3.25 per gallon for unleaded.
“Our most recent purchase was $4.10 for diesel and $3.57 for unleaded, so if fuel prices remain at or above those levels, we may exceed the FY27 budget, Buggy says, adding that “at this point in time, the Village is not concerned about modest variances from the FY27 budget, as these can be managed within normal operations.”
If Vernon Hills see fuel costs become significantly more volatile or create a material budget impact, the matter, Buggy says, would be brought back to the Village Board for further consideration.
Buffalo Grove’s fiscal year runs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. The village will begin the budgeting process in June with a budget hearing typically held in November. The budget is then up for approval in December. Budgets are public documents and are accessible online. Budget hearings, like regular Village Board meetings, are open meetings.
In Brief…
Business burglary, theft, domestic battery…
** An 18-year-old Buffalo Grove man is due in Cook County Court May 1 after he was charged with aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery/body harm, domestic battery/physical contact and assault after an incident April 6 in the 800 block of Trace Drive. Police did not release specific details about the incident.
** Police are investigating a burglary to a business in the 1500 block of west Dundee Rd. Reports say “Unknown offenders broke open a side window and ransacked the business, it is currently unknown if anything was stolen.”
** Reports say that A man allegedly stole various items during different dates from Woodman’s Market, 1535 Deerfield Parkway. Police say the man last attempt was on April 2, when he was seen on camera placing items in a bag and leaving the last point of sale. He was identified and issued an adjudication ticket for retail theft and trespassed from the property.
No movement yet on proposed village hall site
Village officials say the due diligence process for a proposed purchase of a building at 1100 Lake-Cook Rd. for a new village hall and police department is continuing. An original 90-day due diligence period was approved by the Village Board in December, 2025, but was extended in March giving the village more time to inspect the building. No specific date has been set for review at an upcoming Village Board meeting.
Chief to chicken out
Police Chief Brian Budds will host his next “Chat with the Chief” 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23 from at Chick-fil-A, located in The Clove at 268 McHenry Road, opportunity to meet Chief Budds and members of the department who will keep community members abreast safety programs and a chance to learn more about activities in the village.
Student Voice: Protect kids from AI
A 19-year-old Buffalo Grove student says common sense legislation proposed in the General Assembly would put accountability in place — before it’s too late.
That’s what Kashyap Rajesh wrote in an op-ed piece that appeared recently in the Chicago Sun-Times. Rajesh’s views can be found here or at Buffalo Grove Report’s Focus and Forum, which can be found at this link.
Need a Reason to Celebrate?
April 20
April 21
National Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day
April 22
International Mother Earth Day
National I.T. Service Provider Day
April 23
National Cherry Cheesecake Day
April 24
National Hairball Awareness Day
April 25
International Noise Awareness Day
April 26
April 27
April 28
School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Got News?-- If you have news about your club, school, church, synagogue or other community organization, please submit news, information and story ideas to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.Articles should include a contact name, email and phone number. Commentary articles are also welcome. They should be limited to 350 words and should include contact information as noted above. All submissions may be edited for style, spelling, and libelous content.
Subscribe by email -- If you want to receive the Buffalo Grove Report (Buffalo Grove News & Information) by email, send your email address to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.
If you didn’t know -- The Buffalo Grove Report, is locally and independently produced by Buffalo Grove resident Stan Zoller. A longtime print journalist and journalism educator, Zoller covers Buffalo Grove and monitors news and information about the village, its schools, park district and community events. The Buffalo Grove Report is not affiliated with any municipal body. Zoller is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Chicago Headline Club.
