The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District approved an estimated 2019 levy of about $5.6 million at its Dec. 3 board meeting.
The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District approved an estimated 2019 levy of about $5.6 million at its Dec. 3 board meeting.
The levy will now be sent to the Cook County Clerk’s Office where the staff will apply the required tax cap to the district’s request. Taxing bodies in Illinois are under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law that sets tax increases at 5 percent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is less. This year the county will follow CPI guidelines for a 1.9 percent tax increase.
Sharon Dangles, superintendent of finance and administration, said if necessary the levy will be reduced to park district specifications.
Cook County officials have encouraged government bodies to levy higher than anticipated actual levies in funds without ceilings to leave room to capture any unanticipated growth in either EAV (equalized assessed valuation) or new property, Dangles explained to the board.
“If the park district were to levy at expected levels and either the new property or the EAV was higher, any increase would be lost for both the current and future years. This strategy has been used effectively in the past,” she noted.
Park district revenue is divided into 10 funds that cover everything from salaries, programs, maintenance and insurance to a special recreation fund that covers the park district’s share for South Suburban Special Recreation Association, and a Museum Fund that is the park district’s share with the Olympia Fields Park District to jointly manage Irons Oaks.