Braidwood council approves $781,930 in bills, including $350,000 state loan payment

The Braidwood City Council approved $781,930.39 in bills and $183,781.61 in payroll at its Nov. 10 meeting. An annual state loan payment and two new water trucks made up much of the bill total.Finance Commissioner Liz Dixon said payroll ran higher than usual because of the Braidwood Police Department’s annual holiday pay.“The payroll is higher due to the police department’s yearly holiday pay,” Dixon wrote in her council report.The holiday pay is set by the department’s union agreements. The council amended the sergeants’ contract through a memorandum of understanding approved with Ordinance 24-30 on July 23, 2024. It addressed the full-time officers’ agreement through Ordinance 2025-06, approved Jan. 28, 2025.The largest bill was the city’s annual Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan payment of $350,000, Dixon said. That payment included $27,000 in principal and $323,000 in interest.The Water and Sewer Department’s two new pickup trucks, one equipped with a plow, cost $127,00