Letter to the Editor: District 31 Superintendent, Assessors Clarify Referendum Impact on Tax Payers

Dear Editor,

District 31 Superintendent Alexandra Nicholson has arrived at an agreement with Northfield Township Assessor Patricia Damisch and with Ali ElSaffar, President of the Cook County Township Assessors' Association and Oak Park Township Assessor, regarding the April 5 ballot language and the .

• District 31 is over tax revenue collected last year.
• For a typical house, a successful referendum will result in a tax increase of $59 PER $1,000 of taxes paid last year. Alternatively, the tax increase can be expressed as an increase of $105 for a single family home worth $100,000. 
• District 31 is asking for a .49% tax rate increase, bringing its tax rate from 1.306% to 1.796%.  Of the .49% proposed increase, .312% will result from a successful referendum, and the remaining .178% is a result of the 2010 reassessment of Northfield Township properties.  (.178% + .312% = .49%). 

The 2010 reassessment as both the reassessment and a successful referendum will increase District 31's tax rate.  It is important to note that the .178% increase in the tax rate resulting from the reassessment will not bring the District any additional revenue, but will instead compensate for the decline in home values resulting from the reassessment. Indeed, the District's tax rate will increase by .178% even if the referendum does not succeed.

Unfortunately, due to statutory requirements, the referendum ballot calculation includes the effect of both the reassessment and the referendum, and it also excludes the effect of the state equalizer, or multiplier.  Accordingly, we recommend that you ignore the tax impact language appearing on the ballot, and instead use the information noted above.

Previously, the assessors noted that taxes would increase by $165.13 for a home currently worth $100,000.  Although this number does describe the effect of a .49% tax rate increase on a home worth $100,000, it does not account for the reassessment's effect on the tax rate.  Once the reassessment effect is accounted for, the tax increase becomes $105 per $100,000 in market value, or $59 per $1,000 in taxes paid. 

The tax impact estimate of $59 per $1,000 in taxes paid is a figure that District 31 has consistently used in its communications with voters regarding the impact of the referendum.

We understand that aspects of the Illinois tax system can be challenging to navigate, and appreciate the constructive conversation on this issue that we have had with each other and members of our community. We hope the information we have provided here will clear up any confusion moving forward.

Alexandra Nicholson, West Northfield School District 31 Superintendent

Ali ElSaffar, Oak Park Township Assessor and Cook County Township Assessors’ Association President

Patricia Damisch, Northfield Township Assessor