School board to consider 7.2 percent revenue hike

BY SAM SMITH SVN REPORTER ssmith@svnmail.com AMBOY - The school board is scheduled to hold a special hearing and consider passage of a tax levy Thursday night. If approved, the district will collect 7.23 percent more in revenue through property taxes next year, though a range of officials believe the full increase isn't likely. Amboy Superintendent Quintin Shepherd said the district simply is setting the bar high enough to take advantage of any development within the district, not to impose higher tax rates on existing taxpayers. Supervisor of Assessments Wendy Ryerson said the effect on taxpayers will be marginal. Instead, the windfall likely will come on the 2009 tax bill, when a proposed wind farm begins generating electricity near Sublette and approximately $180,000 in extra revenue for the schools. Any taxing body in Lee County that hopes to bring in the extra money must hold a truth-in-taxation hearing if the growth will boost the bottom line more than five percent over last year. Even if the full increase comes through, existing land owners shouldn't notice much if any changes to their tax bill next year, Ryerson said. About one-third of Illinois counties have property-tax caps, according to state records, which show that Whiteside and Bureau County Boards rejected caps in the late 1990s, and Ogle never brought the proposal to a referendum. School districts, such as Dixon and Ashton-Franklin Center, that serve students in neighboring counties do not have the same tax-cap restrictions. The Amboy School Board meets at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the Amboy High School cafeteria. The truth-in-taxation hearing is scheduled first on the agenda, with time for public questions and comments. Reach Sam Smith at (815) 284-2224 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 522.