No Hikes In Darien Tax Levy In Decade: Official

DARIEN, IL — Many local government entities ask for more money from property taxpayers every year.

In Darien, though, the tax levy has stayed the same since 2011, a city official says.

This week, the city administration proposed a tax levy of $2.5 million for next year.

The city accounts for 4 percent of property tax bills in neighborhoods near City Hall. The percentage varies somewhat by school district.

In the areas near City Hall, the school districts take up nearly 70 percent of property taxes, while the Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District and the Darien Park District get 9 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Seven other entities make up the remainder.

While Darien's tax levy has stayed the same, the police pension component has increased over time, City Administrator Bryon Vana said in an interview Wednesday. That means a smaller chunk of property taxes has gone to the general fund.

To make up the difference, Vana said, the city has relied more heavily on other sources of money, including sales taxes. It also has seen new sources, such as video gambling revenue.

"The property tax is the last thing the city ever looks at to change revenue," Vana said. "As long as other revenues are sufficient, we haven't touched the property tax."

Darien, he said, has a healthy sales tax base, with major chains and mom-and-pops remaining relatively strong in good times and bad.

"We're very proud that we haven't had to rely on real estate taxes," he said. "That was a position taken years ago, and we have been successful in doing that."

Every year, Darien and other local government entities send their requested tax levies to the county government. Meanwhile, tax assessments determine each property owner's percentage of the tax burden.

So if the property taxes drop for one house because of a lower assessed value, other property owners pick up the slack. In the end, a local government entity gets what it asked for in its tax levy.