Polo proposes tax levy: Unemployment 
insurance costs means less for police

POLO – The City Council on Monday proposed a $278,400 property tax levy for 2009, which includes a 13 percent cut to general expenses and small cuts to a handful of other departments.

Unusually high bills for unemployment insurance pushed that line item from $30,000 to $52,000 this year, which forced the city to reduce funding for other departments, City Clerk Susie Corbitt said.

Police will lose about $1,000, or about 5 percent, of their $20,300 in property tax revenue. Street lighting and land leases will lose about $250, or
2 percent, each.

Actual spending in the departments doesn’t depend entirely on property taxes because funding comes from a variety of sources, Corbitt said.

The 2009 tax levy is the amount of money the city receives from the Ogle County treasurer after property taxes are collected in spring next year.

The proposed levy is up for a vote at the Dec. 7 meeting.