Dist. 214 will seek tax levy increase

Township High School District 214 is looking to increase its tax levy by about 6 percent next year to "cover various expenses of the district," according to Sherry Koerner, District 214's director of business services.

If approved next week, the move will bring the total levy from $175.7 million to $186.5 million - although the district probably won't collect the entire amount, Koerner said.

To make sure they will get all the funds which they are entitled to, districts typically ask for more than they know they're entitled to. If the district does not ask for the maximum amount it can receive in property taxes, it won't get it. And the state will not make up the difference.

"There could be property out there we're not aware of," Koerner said. "If we don't levy for it, we lose it."

The tax rate would be determined by the amount levied and the equalized assessed value of property within the district. The actual rate will not be known until the summer when an accurate value of the district's property is known, Koerner said.

During the past few months, residents have complained to other local taxing bodies when they proposed raising their portion of the tax levy in light of today's tough economy. Last month, about 150 people urged the Arlington Heights village board to reconsider a planned 3.75 percent levy increase. This week, the Arlington Heights library board took back a 4 percent increase. Instead, there will be no levy increase.

Koerner isn't expecting a backlash. "We've never had one before," she said.

The district's budget year starts on July 1, 2009, and ends June 30, 2010.

About 80 percent of District 214's budget is for salaries and benefits for the approximately 1,800 full and part-time employees in the district. About 67 percent of a taxpayer's bill goes toward education, but Koerner could not say what part of that goes to District 214 as compared to elementary school districts in the area.

For the past 10 years, District 214's tax levy has steadily increased, with each year's increase varying between 3.2 percent and 5.8 percent. In 1997, the district collected $131.6 million, an amount that had grown by 34 percent to $175.7 million by 2007.

District 214 will host a public hearing on levy proposal at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road in Arlington Heights. The school board will vote on the levy after the public hearing.