Push builds to force Kane County property tax increase vote

A growing push by several Kane County Board members to pass a budget before the November election may allow voters to see how their representatives will weigh in on a pending property tax increase.

Fearing they would get cast out of office, multiple board members have pushed behind the scenes to delay the vote, saying they needed more information or more time to explain the nuances to their constituents. But several members of the board's finance committee said Wednesday that reasoning is disingenuous.

"What information am I going to get that I don't now have?" asked board member Ken Shepro. "We just keep going over the same information with the same discussion. We should make a decision on this. The voters deserve it."

Fellow Republican John Martin went a step further, declaring his support for a property tax increase.

"It's time to do what we are in control of, which is to raise our (property) tax," Martin said. "Yet what we want is to hide our vote behind the election."

The statements from Shepro and Martin came with nothing for them to lose at the polls. Shepro lost his bid for reelection in the Republican primary, and Martin isn't seeking reelection.

In a sign of their positions before the election, the majority of the board voted against asking voters to support the creation of a new sales tax months ago. The property tax increase, in contrast, is a move board members can put in place without asking voters' permission through a referendum.

The board hasn't increased the county's property tax levy, beyond accounting for new construction coming onto the books, in more than a decade. Because of the high Consumer Price Index, the board could vote to raise the property tax levy by the maximum amount of 5% for the first time. But projections show that wouldn't be enough to address the $16.3 million deficit expected for 2023.

Not being able to close the budget gap with the property tax increase alone is another reason board members are hesitant to push it forward. There's also budget history.

The county board has approved a budget with deficit spending every year since 2016, with plans to address the gaps by spending down the county's savings. But the years' final numbers have shown that the officials have socked away more money into reserves than they've spent from them.

Indeed, revenue has grown, even without tax increases, as county board member Bill Lenert pointed out. Revenue went up by $11.3 million in 2021. It's on pace to grow $25 million more this year.

"The problem is our spending is outpacing our revenue," Lenert said. He also called on his colleagues to vote on the budget before the November election.

Hearing that call, county board Chair Corinne Pierog asked for volunteers to form a smaller committee to bring forward a draft budget for the board to vote on. The membership of that committee will influence how soon a vote occurs.

Pierog also called on the board to find up to $8 million in spending cuts to help close the budget gap.

The board has until Nov. 30 to approve the 2023 budget. The election, with all 24 board seats on the ballot, is Nov. 8. Early voting began Thursday.