Proposed DuPage County budget won't raise property taxes

Saying DuPage has worked to "trim costs wherever possible," county board Chairman Dan Cronin is proposing a fiscal 2021 budget that doesn't include a property tax increase for homeowners.

Cronin unveiled the proposed $479.7 million spending plan Tuesday. It calls for DuPage's property tax levy to be $69 million, which represents a slight increase to capture new construction in the county being added to the property tax rolls.

However, the property tax rate remains flat and the average DuPage homeowner will not see an increase in their property tax bill.

"Balancing a budget during a pandemic is difficult, painstaking work," Cronin said. "Never have we been asked to squeeze as much value from our tax dollars as we have today. This year, in particular, people's lives depend on us making the right investments."

Cronin presented his budget proposal during a 24-minute speech to county board members.

The proposed spending plan sets aside $177.9 million for the DuPage's general revenue fund, which includes the budgets of most county offices and departments. It's about a 3 percent reduction from the $183.8 million that was allotted for fiscal 2020.

In their budget presentations to the county board, State's Attorney Bob Berlin and Sheriff Jim Mendrick highlighted rising crime rates in the county.

County officials say Cronin's spending plan focuses on public safety investments, including three specialized prosecution units for the state's attorney's office and a training initiative on policing in a diverse society for the sheriff's office.

Reflecting this, the 2021 budget recommends a $1.2 million increase to raise the sheriff's office's budget to $47.3 million. Meanwhile an increase of $524,066 has been proposed for the state's attorney's office to bump its budget to about $10.2 million.

Cronin also highlighted the distribution of $161 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act dollars to the community. This includes $16.5 million to the DuPage County Health Department to continue the fight against COVID-19. The money will support COVID testing, contact tracing, purchases of personal protective equipment, and preparations for a mass vaccination program.

"Public health and public safety are my most important priorities" Cronin said. "This budget reflects my determination to do all we can to protect those living, working and raising families here."

Cronin offered praise for the team effort throughout county government to craft the proposed 2021 budget. Cronin also thanked finance committee Chairman Robert Larsen of Wheaton who "worked out the nitty-gritty details."

"Nobody could have anticipated what we faced in 2020," said Larsen about the county being confronted with issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the need to hire a new chief financial officer in the middle of a financial crisis (Jeff Martynowicz now has the job).

Larsen is set to lead a virtual meeting on the proposed 2021 budget with the 17 other board members on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

County board members have until Nov. 30 to approve a budget for the 2021 fiscal year, which begins Dec. 1.

Officials said a vote on the budget is expected to happen during the board's Nov. 24 meeting.