'Tis the Season: Two School Districts to Approve Tax Levies This Week

In Illinois, there are two seasons that December is known for: the holiday season and tax levy season.

Taxing bodies are required this month to set the 2011 property tax levy--the amount of money the body needs to collect in property taxes in order to operate--that will be reflected on homeowners' property tax bills next spring.

So far, , the and Lincoln-Way High School District 210 have passed their levies, and each of these bodies approved decreases. Now, the boards of and will vote on their levies this week.

I've summed up what's at stake for the two remaining districts, which make up about 45 percent of residents' property tax bill:

Frankfort School District 157-C

When is the vote: The board will vote at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at the administrative offices. A public hearing will be held at the meeting before the vote.

What's the proposed levy: The board proposed a levy of about $24.5 million, which is a decrease from the 2010 levy of about $29.3 million. That means most homeowners will see 157-C portion of their property taxes drop slightly or stay the same.

There are two reasons D157-C is able to keep the levy at or below the previous year's, said Superintendent Tom Hurlburt. The district has made about $2.5 million in budget cuts over the past year, making D157-C leaner but without sacrificing educational standards, he said. The other reason, Hurlburt added, is that the district is refinancing some of the bonds used to build , creating more than $200,000 in savings.

Although the district will need to spend some money from its reserves in order to meet budget this year, Hurlburt said this approach makes sense in the short term, giving financial relief to taxpayers, as well as being a smart move in the long term for the district. 

Summit Hill School District 161

When is the vote: The board will vote at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the administrative offices. A public hearing will be held at the meeting before the vote.

What's the proposed levy: The board will be voting on a slightly increased levy of about $30.68 million in 2011. That's up from about $30 million the previous year. At a recent board meeting, Dean Gerdes, the district's director of business and finance, said , though the area has seen a 1 percent net increase in growth this year.

Even with this increase, D161 faces a budget shortfall of about $2 million. The board has begun to look into ways to make up that difference, including possibly closing either or .

Do you have questions about tax levies as a whole and how they affect you as a homeowner? has a primer that sheds light on the process in layman's terms.