District 158 Referendum Tax Mistake

The president of the Huntley District 158 school board acknowledged Thursday members lacked "critical" information when they asked voters for a 55-cent tax-rate increase. (And if you believe this, I have some land I would like to sell you.)

At issue is the claim made by two District 158 residents - and later substantiated by outside experts - that a 55-cent tax-rate hike would cost taxpayers more than board members said it would. "This is a very critical bit of information," Skala said. "I am frustrated that something has come to light that I feel we, as a board of education, should have known." (What he is really saying is; damn, we got caught.)

The explanation is complex: The district's levy, the amount it collects from taxpayers, can only increase from one year to the next by the rate of inflation. That means that without a tax increase, the district could only raise last year's levy by this year's cap of 1.9 percent. The district's current total tax rate is $4.30 per $100 of equalized assessed value. The extra 55 cents represents a 13 percent increase.

Board members now must decide whether to tax the owner of a $200,000 home the extra $360 they said they would during the campaign - or to take full advantage of the tax hike, which would cost the same taxpayer much more. Exactly how much more will depend on a number of factors, such as the increase in property values, but it could be as much as twice that amount ($720 annually).

District officials and board members have not disclosed why the information wasn't provided during board meetings and a series of public forums leading up to the March and November votes. Nor has anyone been publicly blamed for withholding, mishandling or not fully explaining the potential effect of the tax hike.

The question is; If they made such a monumental mistake as this, how can they be trusted to spend the millions in tax dollars they already are receiving without making more mistakes?

Public floggings are in order for not only the school board, but for the school administrators and for the B.E.S.T. committee for misleading the public. This is an embarrassment!