Only 1 Darien Tax Levy Hike In Quarter Century: Mayor

DARIEN, IL – Darien officials noted Monday that the city has gone since 2011 without increasing its property tax levy.

The tax levy has remained at $2.5 million in that time, with the city making up a tiny fraction of the property tax bill.

At a City Council meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese went further into the local history of the property tax levy. Before 2011, the city had not raised it since 1997, he said. So in 25 years, the levy has gone up once.

In 2011, Marchese said, the city increased the levy because of a bond that year.

Marchese said that as president of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, he knows of other area towns that are increasing their levies this year.

"A lot of them are not in the same financial condition that we are, so I want residents of Darien to know that you have a governmental body that's working diligently, and you're getting excellent services," the mayor said.

Alderman Eric Gustafson said the unchanged levy is especially helpful for older residents.

"I want to congratulate the city for not raising taxes since 2011," he said. "With the high number of seniors in the city, it's a great, great thing that the city has done for the last few years."

According to the U.S. Census, 22 percent of Darien residents are 65 or older. That compares to 17 percent statewide.

At the council meeting, aldermen voted unanimously to take the first step toward keeping the tax levy level for another year. Alderman Tom Chlystek was absent.

This year, it may have been tougher to keep the levy the same, given that inflation was 8 percent.

In an interview last week, City Administrator Bryon Vana said the city has been able to keep the levy the same because sales taxes remain strong and the city has received some outside grants.

This year, the city accounted 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 elementary and high school districts this year took up two-thirds of property taxes, while the Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District received 9 percent. Eight other entities made up the remainder.