Elmhurst D205 Board 'Insisted' On Tax Hike: Member

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst School District 205 board member said Tuesday that he wanted to set the record straight about the district's finances.

At last month's board meeting, member Jim Collins said he recalled the district's auditors saying that income exceeded spending by $7.5 million in the budget year that ended last June. He asked whether he was correct.

Chris Whelton, the district's then-assistant superintendent of finance, said he did not believe the information was correct. He said the district transferred $7 million for its building projects.

At Tuesday's meeting, Collins said his memory was correct, pointing to the audit. The audit stated income exceeded spending by $7.6 million in the general fund. That was higher than was budgeted because of higher-than-expected income, the audit said.

Board President Athena Arvanitis said that figure did not include the $7 million transfer.

Last month, Collins and members Kara Caforio and Courtenae Trautmann voted to scale back this year's property tax hike.

They were in the minority, so the district is going ahead with increasing the tax levy by $7.5 million this year.

Collins again spoke against the idea Tuesday, saying the board told the public it would keep its debt payments level.

"Our voters have long memories, I found," Collins said. "We talk a lot about earning trust. The board did what they did, so you insisted."

Collins decided against seeking re-election April 1. He is leaving the board after 16 years.