ECC proposes 3 percent tax levy increase
By Emily McFarlan Miller emcfarlan@stmedianetwork.com November 14, 2012 5:26PM
Updated: December 19, 2012 12:07PM
ELGIN — Elgin Community College is proposing a $55 million total tax levy for 2012.
That amount is a 3.03 percent increase over the previous year, when the community college had levied $53 million and actually received about $43.5 million, according to Sharon Konny, vice president of business and finance.
The community college likely will collect 82 to 86 percent of what it levies, or about $46.7 million, Konny said. That’s because tax caps in Chicago’s collar counties scale back any property tax increase to the rate of inflation, or about 3 percent this year.
The college — like other local governmental bodies — doesn’t know how much it might receive in property taxes, according to Konny. That’s why it must estimate high to capture any growth, she said.
That money makes up 60 to 65 percent of the community college’s revenues, it has said.
“It would be nice if the state would up its ante a little, but the taxpayers still are paying a lot each year,” Konny said.
While levy increases are routine, the burden on the taxpayers kept Trustees Bob Getz and John Dalton from voting on last year’s resolution. This year’s public hearing and vote on the proposed levy will be at the regular board of trustees meeting on Dec. 11.
Dalton is set to step down from the board Dec. 3 after winning election last week for Kane County Circuit Court judge of the Second Subcircuit, according to the community college.
