Kane County Chronicle | St. Charles aims to keep tax levy flat

ST. CHARLES ? The city of St. Charles plans to hold its operational tax levy to 2009 levels, but what that means to taxpayers could vary.

Finance Director Chris Minick said it depends on the valuation of taxpayers? property as it relates to the change in the city?s equalized assessed value.

The EAV is expected to decrease about 5.16 percent, Minick said. Taxpayers whose property also declines by that amount will pay the same amount for the 2012 levy as they paid for the 2011 levy. Bills will go up for taxpayers whose valuation goes up or stays the same.

?The average taxpayer would see no change in the city portion on their tax bill,? Minick said.

A public hearing on the 2012 levy is expected in early December. Staff has prepared an estimated $22,452,396 levy, with the operational portion held at $12,055,117.

Cost containment and the city?s revenue mix have enabled the city to hold the operating levy flat, Minick said.

?A city, quite frankly, has more avenues and more ways to raise revenue than a school district, park district, county and library district,? he said.

Property taxes account for about one-third of St. Charles? general fund, Minick said. Meanwhile, it?s not unusual for the local tax base to fund more than three-quarters of a school district?s budget.

Minick doesn?t want the city?s ability to collect funds from other sources, such as sales tax, to ?shortchange? St. Charles? cost-containment efforts, he said.

Since fall 2008, the city has acted to ensure its expenses remained consistent with its revenues. Audited statements for recent years show the budgets ?by and large? broke about even, he said, adding it ?speaks volumes to the cost-containment effort.?

Although the total 2012 estimated levy shows a 4.76 percent increase from last year because of an increase in the debt service, Minick said the city usually pays this portion ? about $9.9 million ? through nonproperty tax revenue streams. The city intends to do that this year.

?We?re legally required to include it in the estimate,? Minick said, ?but we won?t charge [taxpayers] for it.?

Minick also noted the 2012 levy does not include additional tax revenue or tax increases to pay for the Red Gate Bridge bonds, which total $6.3 million.

Source: http://www.kcchronicle.com/2012/10/18/st-charles-aims-to-keep-tax-levy-flat/aph2hx1/

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