District 214 proposes 2.4 percent tax levy increase
The Northwest Suburban High School District 214 school board on Thursday approved a 2.4 percent tentative tax levy increase for the next year.
The total amount to be tentatively levied from District 214 taxpayers is $210.3 million, up from the $205.4 million that was levied last year, according to district documents. Taxes are paid the year after they are levied.
Officials said they need the increase to pay for rising costs of running the district, which educates more than 12,000 students each year.
Although the levy means taxes will go up for District 214 taxpayers, Superintendent David Schuler said the increase is "conservative."
The district is only allowed to levy for inflation - 1.5 percent according to the consumer price index - plus on new property in the district. Officials have said that the tentative levy is essentially an educated guess of how much money the district will need, and if the district doesn't levy enough to use all its taxing authority under the tax cap, it will be penalized every year after because of legislation that limits how much it can increase its levy from the prior year.
Cathy Johnson, the district's associate superintendent for finance and operations, said it's hard to estimate what the increase will mean for the individual taxpayer since the district encompasses several communities and tax bills are calculated by the Cook County Assessor's Office with a number of variables.
The levy increase comes just months after the district decided it would spend $45 million of its reserves on school improvement projects, including a new swimming pool, turf field and building updates.
When the projects were announced, several taxpayers instead asked the board for a tax rebate or lower taxes. Schuler said those complaints were taken into consideration.
"Historically we have always hedged higher (on the levy) because we want to safeguard ourselves," Schuler said. "But, it was clear through the capital projects process that community members are concerned about taxation. We wanted to be as conservative as possible."
He has said the district and board would consider the possibility of a tax rebate in the future.
The levy also comes as the district's equalized assessed valuation continues to drop. For tax year 2013, District 214's EAV was down 14 percent from 2012.
District 214 will hold a public hearing and vote to approve the levy at its Dec. 11 board meeting at 7 p.m. at the Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights.