Amboy school district seeking tax levy increase

AMBOY - The Amboy school district has proffered its tax levy proposal for the upcoming year; it's seeking a levy of about $1,150 for a home worth $80,000. All told, the district is requesting a little over $5 million, up from last year's roughly $4.7 million. The biggest reason for the increase is property values, which have gone up in the district this year as a result of recently completed wind farm construction, Superintendent Quintin Shepherd said at this week's board meeting. "That essentially boils down to new construction," Shepherd said. Typically, the district sees about $1.5 million in new construction. This year, the district saw about $5.4 million in new construction, which could increase the assessed value, and in turn, increase the overall value of property in the district."The windmills have been under constructions the last few years," Shepherd said. "The district is basically saying [that] we'd like to tax these windmills." The levy is the single biggest contributor to the school district's total operating budget, making up 56 percent, followed by general state aid at 27 percent. A public hearing on the levy request will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Amboy High School.