The Central Community Unit School District 301 board recently approved its tentative 2015-16 budget. The tentative budget is available for public viewing at the district office, 275 South Street in Burlington.
Superintendent Todd Stirn said that while the average school district in Illinois receives 67 percent of its revenue from local property taxes, District 301 takes 88 percent of its revenue from property taxes since there is a lack of commercial and industrial businesses in the district to draw revenue from.
The tax rate has increased over the years. It was 4.92 in 2008, 5.05 in 2009, 5.58 in 2010, 6.18 in 2011, 7.04 in 2012, 7.79 in 2013, and 7.88 in 2014.
Stirn said the district will not go for a referendum at this time, but it will have focus groups in order to let people become aware of the challenges being faced by the district.
Elgin resident Brian Clark said that after he and other concerned taxpayers came before the board last year, the tax rate was lowered from what was originally proposed. The board approved a recommendation that $1 million in bonds to be paid in school year 2015 would be paid through existing reserves on hand.
This year, Stirn said that board has proposed a $500,000 abatement of payment for bonds that would reduce the tax rate by approximately .09 by next spring.
“The district has $400,000 in reserve in the debt service fund that can be used to abate taxes in the bond and interest fund,” Stirn said.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
More Top Picks Best Sequential Compression Devices For Lymphedema