Dear District 118 Families:
Today is Election Day and is the final day to cast your vote for the District 118 referendum.
Over the past few months, we have been sharing with you information about the upcoming referendum that will be on today’s primary election ballot.
Today, I’d like to share with you the question you will see on the ballot and explain why it says your taxes will go up if the referendum is successful and why this statement is misleading.
When you look at your property tax bill, you see one tax rate for Palos 118. That tax rate is a combination of two tax rates – an operating tax rate to pay for operating expenses and a debt service tax rate to pay off existing debt. This video helps explain how this works.
The ballot question is set by law and only refers to the school district’s operating tax rate. The school district cannot by law add information to the ballot question about paying off its existing debt and eliminating its debt service tax rate. The ballot question only refers to the operating tax rate.
If approved, the $161.39 increase in operating taxes referred to in the ballot question below WILL BE COMPLETELY OFFSET by a corresponding $161.39 decrease in the debt service taxes since the school district will pay off all its existing bond debt in 2024.
Below is the wording you will see when you cast your vote:
Ballot Question
Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Palos Community Consolidated School District Number 118, Cook County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.552% above the limiting rate for school purposes for levy year 2022 and be equal to 3.662% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2023?
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The approximate amount of taxes extendable at the most recently extended limiting rate is $24,496,319.00, and the approximate amount of taxes extendable if the proposition is approved is $28,847,854.50.
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For the 2023 levy year the approximate amount of the additional tax extendable against property containing a single family residence and having a fair market value at the time of the referendum of $100,000 is estimated to be $161.39.
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If the proposition is approved, the aggregate extension for 2023 will be determined by the limiting rate set forth in the proposition, rather than the otherwise applicable limiting rate calculated under the provisions of the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (commonly known as the Property Tax Cap Law).
As I’ve stated before, I wish the question was more transparent and we are working with our local legislators to pass legislation in the General Assembly that would make referendum questions more transparent to voters.
If you have any questions before you vote today, you can email us at questions@palos118.org.
However you decide to vote, I do encourage you to make your voice heard today.
To find your polling place today, March 19, you can visit the Cook County Clerk’s website to do a look up by township or by home address.
Look up by township:
https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/polling-places
Look up by home address:
https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/your-voter-information
Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony Scarsella
Superintendent of Schools