Huntley board considering 3.1% hike in property tax levy

Huntley's village board is considering a property tax levy that, if approved this month, would raise the amount of property taxes collected, but lower the village's tax rate.

Under a tentative plan unanimously approved by trustees in November, the village would collect additional property taxes from new growth in town, but forgo inflationary increases. Trustees said the goal is to keep the levy as flat as possible while still capturing some of the available dollars from new development.

"These are hard times for people, and we're in decent shape," Trustee Ronda Goldman said.

The proposal would increase the total levy by about 3.1%, up to $5.1 million from last year's $4.98 million, village documents show.

Another option the village board considered included an increase just to meet police pension requirements, which would have hiked the levy by about 2.4% and lowered a residents' tax bill by $3 for a $300,000 home.

A third option, which would have led to the largest increase, would have raised the levy by more than 10% and potentially added $35 to the tax bill for a $300,000 home, village material states. That option would have added more than $500,000 to the levy and triggered the need for a public hearing.

The tax levy is expected to be approved later this month. The village is required to file its new levy with the McHenry County clerk by Dec. 27.