Geneva schools asking for more tax money

Geneva School District 304 will ask for $60.1 million in property taxes for its operating funds in the 2010 tax levy.

The proposed levy was presented to the school board this week. Final numbers will be presented Nov. 22 and the board will vote on the levy Dec. 13.

The request must be filed with the Kane County Clerk by Dec. 28. The taxes will be collected in the spring and fall of 2011.

The request is 3.78 percent more than the 2009 tax extension for operating funds taxes. Raises in those funds are limited by state law to 5 percent or the increase in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower, except for taxes levied on new properties. The CPI factor this year is 2.7 percent. Many taxing bodies levy on the high side because final reports on the value of land in their districts are not available at the time the levy is set.

The operating funds levy does not include money collected to pay the district's debt. That levy, which is not subject to the property tax cap, is $14.6 million, bringing the total amount of taxes requested to $74.5 million. The total is 4.7 percent above the 2009 actual extension.