Aurora vows to hold the line on its share of property tax bill

Property tax bills will vary across Aurora depending on park and school districts, but the city's portion will hardly change.

Saying they were "doing their best" in tough economic times, staff members this week unveiled the city's 2008 levy, which rose $800,000 from last year's amount of $76.9 million.

"The levy, for all intents and purposes, is flat," said City Treasurer and Finance Director Brian Caputo. "Depending upon individual circumstances, and if there's no extraordinary re-assessments and we have a modest amount of new construction, the average taxpayer is not likely to see much of an increase in the city portion of their property tax bill and they may even see a decline a bit on a dollar basis."

Last year, a $180,000 Aurora home with an equalized assessed valuation of $60,000 paid $4,549.64 in property taxes. Caputo said this year's bill should closely resemble last year's.

"I think we're doing the best we can," Caputo said. "Admittedly these are tough economic times and we're trying to recognize that."

Fourth Ward Alderman Rick Lawrence, however, warned that taxpayers should be aware of levys passed by other taxing districts and how those may alter Caputo's forecast.

"We have to be cognizant of what the other taxing bodies are doing because it affects us overall and our ability to operate as a municipality," Lawrence said. "You've got to add all of these taxes up and at one point it will come back to us that the return on investment to live here is not worth it in the taxes. And it might not be because of the city of Aurora, It may be because of everything combined so we pay the price more than anyone else based on the overall taxes of the city."

Mayor Tom Weisner agreed but said he doesn't think anyone will be asking for what they don't need.

"Any local taxing body needs to be cognizant in these times," Weisner said. "And I do believe that 2009 will be a year in which people see that what they are asked for from the city will be very responsible."