Tax Levy, Rate Increase for Plainfield School District

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But when all is said and done, officials expect the actual amount levied to be closer to $172,848,619 due to laws limiting how much taxing bodies can actually receive. That would be about $2.2 million, or 1.3 percent, higher than last year's $170.6 million extension. The official 2013 extension will be calculated after the district's final equalized assessed value is set next April.

The estimated $172.8 million final levy would mean a tax rate of 6.09 percent, up from this year's 5.83 percent and a .25 percent increase.

The requested levy includes a one-time tax increase to pay back about $1 million in taxes it has received from Edward Hospital. The money must be refunded since the non-profit hospital was granted tax-exempt status, retroactive to 2008. 

The increase will amount to $26.29 for the owner of a home with a market value of $210,000, according to the district.

In a press release, District 202 Director of Community Relations Tom Hernandez said the higher levy is normal.

"Governments must request, or 'levy for,' more taxes than they actually expect to receive, to ensure they get their full share of taxes," he wrote. " If governments ask for less than what they ultimately are due, they lose any funds over their request."

Since 2009, the district has cut operating expenses by about $43 million to address budget deficits caused by the economic downturn, housing market collapse and unstable state funding.

The state tax cap law limits the amount of new revenues the district can levy each year to either the rate of inflation or 5 percent, whichever is less. For the 2013 levy, the rate of inflation is 1.7 percent; therefore District 202 can increase its local property tax revenues by only 1.7 percent (plus the value of new construction).

Of the total amount of the proposed 2013 levy, approximately 80 percent or $166.8 million dollars will go to the districts’ operating funds, which include Education, Operations and Maintenance, Transportation, Working Cash, Illinois Municipal Employees Retirement Fund and Tort fund.