Public comment periods continues on Glen Ellyn-area special tax district

Residents of an unincorporated area of DuPage County near Glen Ellyn will get another chance to speak tonight about two proposed tax districts that would provide them fire department services.

The tentative special service areas, located north and south of Glen Ellyn, would levy an additional property tax on residents to help fund the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company. A public hearing Aug. 24 drew such a large response that the village board continued it to meeting at 8 p.m. tonight at the civic center, 535 Duane St.

"It's very democratic in that they can say 'no,'" Village President Mark Pfefferman said. "Our job is to be a conduit and put all the information we can on the table, and we started that in the first public meeting."

Despite the board's approval Aug. 10, residents can still reject the proposal because they do not fall under Glen Ellyn's taxing jurisdiction.

If 51 percent of registered voters and property owners in the affected areas oppose the levy, it would be defeated. If that were to happen, the fire company has said it would not be able to continue service in the area and would eliminate the coverage Jan. 1.

Because the area is unincorporated, the village had to receive approval from DuPage County and Milton Township to try to create the taxing districts.

The county included a provision that capped the property tax levy at a proportionate percentage of the department's operating expenses.

Therefore, because the assessed value of the unincorporated properties make up 13 percent of the fire company's coverage area, the income received from the proposed levy cannot exceed 13 percent.

Finance Director Jon Batek said, for a long time, the unincorporated areas have received the same fire service without paying as much as in-town residents.

"For 102 years, the fire company has been largely dependent on volunteer contributions," he said. "The out-of-town residents are disproportionately paying less."