Elmhurst Schools May Reduce Tax Hike

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst residents will see their property taxes go up, but the increase may not be as high as originally expected.

The Elmhurst School District 205 board is considering scaling back the hike it approved in December. It's part of a procedure that is known as "abatement" in government jargon.

Now the owner of a $500,000 house – about the median in Elmhurst – is slated to get a property tax bill of $7,418. That's an increase of $245 from the previous year, according to the district.

On Tuesday, the district's financial adviser presented three options to the school board to cut the increase back by anywhere from $25 to $47 for the owner of a $500,000 home.

Any of the options would require the district to dip into existing accounts to make up the difference for its debt payments. The proposed amounts range from $525,000 to $1 million, said the adviser, Elizabeth Hennessy of Raymond James.

The board, which scaled back last year's tax increase, did not comment on the options. A decision is expected Feb. 25.

The district makes up three-fourths of the local property tax bill, which is the case for most Illinois school systems.

On Tuesday, the board met for an hour and a half behind closed doors. Its open session lasted an hour.