Elmhurst D205 Tax Hike? Hopefuls Weigh In

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst school board candidates were recently asked whether the board should have increased the property tax levy to the maximum when the school has more than $40 million in the bank.

The eight candidates at the forum answered the question during the Elmhurst League of Women Voters forum late last month.

In December, the Elmhurst School District 205 board approved a 5 percent increase in the property tax levy, which is the overall amount collected from all taxpayers.

Under the state's tax limitation law, public bodies can raise the levy with the rate of increase in the consumer price index, up to 5 percent.

Although the district has more than $40 million in reserves, about $20 million of that has been earmarked for the expansion of the scope of school building projects, including the replacement of Field Elementary.

In her answer, candidate Linda Nudera, a teacher in another district, said she remembered when the school district was in the red. So she said she understood why the district created such a "generous pad" for itself.

"There is a difference between having enough reserves and having too much reserves," she said. "My opinion is that we work down some of our reserves until we get it to a reasonable amount... But to tax people right now when their wallets are already hurting, in my opinion, is irresponsible."

Incumbent Beth Hosler, who was among the board members backing the hike, defended it. The decision, she said, was driven by increases in costs for labor and transportation, among other things.

"This decision is not made lightly, and it's made on a yearly basis," Hosler said. "Anyone who says your taxes are going to increase a certain amount over a certain amount of time is just misinformed. That's just not how that works."

Candidates Kelly Asseff and Kelly Henry gave answers similar to Hosler's.

Candidate Tom Chavez, a vocal critic of the board, said the district has been hiking taxes at more than the rate of inflation over the last decade. He told Patch later that he meant to say spending, not taxing. His candidate questionnaire to Patch reflects the same concept.

"I want our schools to be well-resourced and well-funded, but I also want to make sure that we're using those funds resourcefully and transparently, so the taxpayers are getting a good value for their money," Chavez said.

Candidate Jammie Esker Schauer said the district did not need more than $40 million in the bank. She said a better number would be $5 million or $10 million.

Schauer and candidates Lan Li and Ben Zaulauf said they disagreed with raising taxes when the district has so much on hand.

The only candidate who did not take part in the forum was Courtenae Trautmann, an incumbent.

In a Facebook post beforehand, Trautmann apologized for her expected absence. She said she couldn't make it because she was the coach of her daughter's baseball team, an endeavor she began six years ago. She said she was coaching the team for the last time – in their championship game.