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Village tax levy freeze on for 22nd year
Updated: January 7, 2013 6:59AM
SKOKIE — It may have been unusually warm for this time of year, but when it comes to Skokie’s annual tax levy, the freeze is still on.
Since 1991, the village has kept the annual property tax levy at or below the same amount – even after village trustees committed to doing so for only five years.
The levy of nearly $15.5 million, which will come up for a final vote by the Village Board later this month, reflects the 22nd year that the freeze has been in effect.
Skokie’s tax freeze has meant that the village portion of residents’ taxes has shrunk every year. In 1990, the first year of the freeze, village taxes accounted for 15.2 percent of an average homeowner’s bill; today, it’s just under 7.1 percent.
Had the village portion of tax bills increased merely by the rate of inflation every year, Finance Director Robert Nowak said the levy would be $12 million higher and an average tax bill in Skokie would be $295 more.
Although the village portion on the bill has decreased, that doesn’t mean taxpayers see reductions in their overall bills every year.
The village makes up only one portion of the bill, which is also impacted by the Cook County Assessor’s determination on property value, assessment level, assessed value, equalized assessed value and exemption for homeowners and senior citizens.
During the same vote set for Dec. 17, the Village Board will also vote on the Skokie Library levy, acting on the Library Board’s behalf.
The $12.6 million levy represents a 1 percent hike over last year’s levy. The library levy appears on a taxpayer’s bill as a separate line item and is determined by its own board.
