Batavia schools seek tax levy increase

The Batavia school district plans to ask for $2.88 million, or 3.97 percent more, in taxes next year than it collected this spring.

The school board has approved asking for $65.6 million to run the schools, and $9.96 million for debt payments.

State law limits the increase in operating funds taxes to the rate of the increase in the Consumer Price Index or 5 percent, whichever is less. For this year, the CPI was set at .8 percent.

That limit, however, does not apply to new construction. And the district won't know the final equalized assessed value of property in the district until March, but has to submit its levy request by the last Tuesday in December.

So the district, like many other taxing bodies, asks for more than it believes it will get, so it can get as much additional taxes as possible out of the new construction and from any other increase in the equalized assessed valuation. It usually does not get all it asks for, said Anton Inglese, the district's chief financial officer.

The tax cap does not apply to taxes collected for debt.

The Kane County Supervisor of Assessments estimated the value of property in the district increased 4.75 percent this year, including $5.79 million in new construction.

School board member Jon Gaspar acknowledged he doesn't like asking for more taxes. But he fears the governor's proposal to freeze property taxes may be approved, or other changes made regarding state support of schools.

"I'm afraid to lose any money. ... I'm not sure what is going to be down the road for us for what the state does," he said.