After one-year reprieve, average Kane Co. tax bill rises again
Last year, Kane County Treasurer David Rickert declared local taxpayers will probably never again see a drop in the average tax bill as they did last year. The latest round of Kane County property tax bills prove his clairvoyance.
Bills will go in the mail this week, and the average one will increase 4.55 percent. Last year's average bill of $6,238 is expected to increase about $284, for a bill of about $6,521.
The bills are increasing partially because higher tax levies are being charged by local taxing bodies, and partially because of a mistake in calculating last year's tax bills.
The higher tax levies show up in the total amount of property taxes that will be collected across the county. There are only 125 new parcels paying taxes this year, but property tax revenue is up by about $55.4 million. Nearly 70 percent of all the property taxes collected will fund local schools.
Taxpayers who will pay for the mistake are those in Elgin Area School District U-46, Elgin Community College District 509, the Gail Borden Public Library district and Fox River Water Reclamation District. Residents in those areas will see a large bump in their tax bills this year because there was an error in calculating the tax extension in that region of the county.
Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham is responsible for the extension and mailed letters earlier this year notifying residents of the one-time increase so they could save a little extra in advance. At the time of the Cunningham's letter it was too early in this year's tax calculations to determine what sort of increase the affected residents would see.
The numbers show residents in Elgin Township will have the highest tax bills in the county by more than $400. The average tax bill on a $300,000 home will be $12,003.
The second-highest average tax bills are in Aurora Township. The owner of a $300,000 home there will pay an average of $11,590. The third highest average tax bill is in Dundee Township. The owner of a $300,000 home will pay an average of $11,262.
In contrast, the lowest average tax bills are all in the middle of the county. Campton Township has the lowest average tax bill on a $300,000 home - $9,159. St. Charles Township has the second lowest bill on that same home - $9,445. The third lowest bill on a $300,000 home is in Geneva Township - $9,536.
Once tax bills arrive, the first installment is due June 1. The second installment is due Sept. 1.