Barrington Hills board approves levy reduction

At its Nov. 18 meeting, the Barrington Hills board of trustees unanimously voted to approve the levy and assessment of taxes for fiscal year 2024 which included a reduction of 2.2%, or a $104,500 reduction, in the village’s portion of property taxes.

Both President Brian Cecola and Trustee Thomas Strauss, who also serves as the finance committee chairman, emphasized this was the 15th consecutive year of maintaining or decreasing property taxes, all due to the careful diligence of village staff and the fiscal responsibility by both current and previous boards.

“I am so proud to be able to do this for our residents. Many hours are dedicated to making this happen. At a time when everything is increasing, this says a lot,” Cecola said. “I thank the finance committee for their diligence and for their many hours in making this possible.”

The direction began in 2011 when the levy remained flat, as did each following year leading up to 2015, when the residents of Barrington Hills saw a decrease of 1.7% in the village’s portion of property taxes. The trend has continued ever since with decreases ranging from 1.7% to as large as 14% in 2017, all the while maintaining essential services and increasing efficiencies.

“It’s a lot of work and 15 years is an incredible number,” said Strauss who is joined on the finance committee by Trustees Darby Hills and John Carpenter (JC) Clarke. “Very few villages in the state of Illinois can say that they’ve held or lowered their tax levy for so many years.”

Strauss attributes fiscal responsibility and negotiating the village’s major expenses as the key factors in reducing the levy.