The Flossmoor District 161 Board of Education asked Associate Superintendent Frances LaBella to present a proposal to leave the district’s portion of residents’ property taxes virtually unchanged next year.
After reporting that the district is in line to receive a $2-million 2025 Property Tax Relief Grant (PTRG), LaBella discussed several options with the board at the Oct. 28 meeting.
When the State of Illinois awards PTRGs, a school district must commit to lowering taxes for two consecutive years. Because the district is no longer required to abate the 2023 PTRG in 2025, the Board of Education must decide whether to leave the discount to taxpayers or reinstate the tax.
“I’m calling it three options, but it’s really three and a whole lot of pieces in between. So you can recapture all of that 2023 abatement and put all of that money back on the tax rolls. You can choose to not recapture any of it and just let that abatement become permanent or you can do something in between,” LaBella told the board. “What I’m proposing is a flat levy. So, in aggregate, you will tax the same amount as you did this year.”
Board member Michael Rouse II noted that the future is unpredictable and was hesitant about leaving a portion of the discount on the rolls. Several other board members expressed concerns about raising taxes to fund projects they had yet to agree on.
After debating the issue, the board members reached a consensus and asked LaBella to draft a plan for the flat levy. LaBella will present that plan at the next board meeting scheduled for Nov. 11. The board will face a similar levy decision at the end of 2025 and 2026 when the 2024 and 2025 PTRGs are about to expire.
District 161 will also vote on a proposal to apply for the School Maintenance Project Grant (SMPG). The state-funded SPMG matches the district’s expenditures on a maintenance project up to $50,000. LaBella recommends using the grant for the roof replacement planned at Heather Hill in the summer.
