Round Lake District 116 taxpayers to receive second installment of property tax credit

Taxpayers in Round Lake Area Unit District 116 will receive tax credits averaging $206 off the property tax bills they receive this year.

The tax credit is funded by an Illinois State Board of Education grant. District 116 applied in 2019 for the two-year property tax relief grant, which will total $6.7 million.

The tax credit program was put in effect for school boards to reduce district property tax collections. The tax credit is directly applied toward the total balance due on the taxpayers' individual property tax bill.

District 116's tax credit went into effect in 2019 and was made to pay an average of $406 over a two-year period, with the first tax credit worth $200. That tax credit value was based on an average home value of $100,000 in District 116 and will increase or decrease based on the home value.

The grant does not affect education funding, and residents do not need to apply to receive it, officials said.

Kevin Daniels, District 116's school board president, said the grant was aimed at helping taxpayers who have supported major investments in recent years. These improvements include $29 million in renovations for Round Lake High School and $7 million in outdoor athletic field maintenance.

"We saw the property tax relief grant as an opportunity to give back to these valued partners without impacting our ability to fund improvements in the district," Daniels said.

Pam Kibbons, the district's assistant superintendent of business services, said there will not be a second grant issued at this time to the district.

Many other school districts in the state have participated in the grant program. Last year, Marquardt Elementary District 15 in Glendale Heights, Queen Bee Elementary District 16 in Glendale Heights, Grayslake High School District 127 and Fox River Grove Elementary District 3 were among those that were awarded grants, collecting $16.6 million from the state.