Community Corner

District 113 Proposes 2.97 Percent Tax Levy Hike

Increase is below average for area high schools.

A proposed 2.97 percent increase in the 2013 real estate tax levy by Township High School District 113 will result in a tax hike for residents of Highland Park and Deerfield next year, according to a statement from District Communications Director Melinda Vajdic.

The total estimated levy is $82,275,000 and, if approved when the District 113 Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. Dec. 9, will result in the owner of a $300,000 house paying $69 more a year in 2014.

When bond and interest debt is added to the levy, the increase is 4.23 percent.

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With 81 percent of the revenue necessary to operate Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools coming from property taxes, the District based its levy proposal on an estimate of income and expenditures.

Two years ago, 27 high schools in the area had tax rates higher than Highland Park and Deerfield while 10 were lower. Illinois law limits the amount of each annual bump.

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District 113 residents will have their chance to let the Board know what they think during a public hearing on the levy at 7 p.m. Dec. 9. A vote on the new tax rate is expected then.

Other taxing legislative bodies in Highland Park and Deerfield have also proposed levies to determine taxes to be paid next year. The Highland Park City Council is expected to ask for a 7.31 percent bump while the Deerfield Village Board anticipates a more modest change.

In Highland Park, residents living in a $500,000 house are projected to pay an additional $85 for the year while it will be $20 in Deerfield. Deerfield Public Schools District 109 anticipates a small decrease.

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