Hinsdale D86 Hikes Taxes To Cap

HINSDALE, IL – The Hinsdale High School District 86 board voted unanimously last week for a 5 percent property tax levy increase, the most allowed under state law.

The board did not comment on its decision, as it discussed the matter at length in late October.

Under an early 1990s state law, 5 percent is the tax cap as long as inflation rises 5 percent or more, which it has.

In the October meeting, member Jeff Waters suggested a 3 percent increase, saying taxpayers would already be burdened with a recession.

Later in that meeting, though, Kay Gallo, a former school board president who regularly criticizes the current board majority, said she appreciated that the majority indicated it wanted to increase to the maximum.

She noted the board's vote to have no increase to the tax levy in 2013. It caused the district to suffer for years, she said.

The 2013 decision is still remembered around the western suburbs. Just last week, in a tax hike debate in La Grange, a village trustee recalled the "primal scream" in District 86 when officials later discovered the financial impact of the zero levy.

Each year, a public body can increase the tax levy by the consumer price index to keep up with rising costs.

But once a board decides to go lower than that rate, it cannot reverse itself in later years. So decisions such as the one in 2013 have a long-term effect.

Other school districts, including Elmhurst District 205 and Lyons Township High School, are also poised to increase their levies by 5 percent.