Local elementary school districts are preparing to raise their portion of the overall property tax bill mostly at a rate of 5% heading into next year, adhering to overall taxing guidelines.
With local elementary school districts representing the largest portion of the property tax bill, school boards are adopting the 2023 tax levy in the last two months of the year following traditional practice.
School districts typically levy higher than the consumer price index that school districts are limited to under the county’s tax laws to capture all new property that is coming on the tax rolls, according to Winnetka District 36 Chief Financial Officer Brad Goldstein.
He added school districts are limited to a levy increase of 5% or the Consumer Price Index — whichever is lower — Goldstein said. He added the CPI for the period from December 2021 to December 2022 was 6.5%.
At District 36, the school board is expected to vote at their Dec. 19 meeting for a property tax levy increase of 6.82%, Goldstein said. He estimated existing property owners would see a 5% increase representing an approximate increase of $208 on home with a market value of $500,000, but certain homeowners have exemptions.
Goldstein noted District 36 represents almost 40% of a property taxpayer’s bill in Winnetka.
At Avoca District 37, the levy increase is expected to be 7.9% including new property, according to Chief School Business Official Beth Dever.
Dever said existing taxpayers would see a 5% levy increase translating to an approximate $200 increase on property tax bills. She added the Avoca 37 school board is expected to vote on the property tax levy increase at their Dec. 14 meeting.
Avoca 37 covers parts of Wilmette, Winnetka, Northfield and Glenview. The school district represents an average of 41% of the property tax bill, according to Dever.
At Glencoe District 35, existing property owners are also set to see a rise of 5%, according to Director of Finance and Operations Jason Edelheit.
When Edelheit previewed the levy situation in October, he indicated there would be a total levy increase of 7.93% when new property is included.
Edelheit said on a property tax bill of $50,000, the estimated impact of the increase would be $825.
He said the school board is anticipated to take final action on the levy increase at their Dec. 14 meeting, adding District 35 represents about a third of the overall property tax bill in Glencoe.
At Wilmette District 39, the school board adopted a 5% increase for existing property taxpayers in November.
District 39 officials did not respond in time for Pioneer Press deadlines regarding questions on the anticipated financial impact for Wilmette property taxpayers.
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The elementary school district represents 38% of the total property tax bill, according to the Wilmette village officials.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.