D-211 Considers Property Tax Levy

Township High School District 211 is considering a property tax levy increase of 1.8 percent.

The proposed tax levy will be reviewed by the school board Nov. 10, a public hearing will take place Dec. 8 and final approval is expected Dec. 27.

District 211 would bring in about $203 million in property taxes, with about $5.5 million of that going to pay district debt and the bulk of the remainder paying for district operational costs.

Property taxes account for 85 percent of District 211's revenue. Salaries make up about 57 percent of the district's expenses.

For homeowners the proposed levy increase should equate to about a 1.5 percent increase in property taxes paid for the district. The number is lower than the total levy increase because the 1.8 percent includes new development in the area.

Associate Superintendent Dave Torres said that District 211 only is one piece of a much larger puzzle that affects whether a person's property taxes rise. For example, Torres said the expanded homeowner's exemption is being phased out — lowering it from $20,000 to $16,000 — and that will have an impact on tax bills.

Torres said District 211 is using reserves to abate some of its debt payment, lowering this portion of the property tax rate. Under the proposed levy, about $5.5 million would go to pay district debt – without the abatement this would be about $9.89 million.

One issue District 211 is property tax appeals that move their way through the court system. Torres said the district has had to pay $31 million back since 2005. Torres said the appeals involved large businesses, not homeowners.

Torres said appeals that are filed through court system or end up in court sometimes take years. For example, one day this year District 211 had to pay back $138,830 in refunds for appeals that had been filed from 2006 to 2009.

"How do you avoid the mess?" Torres said. "If all the appeals are completed in the year, they are filed before the books are closed."