LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
PARIS—After a vehicle ran into a portion of the fence at Crestwood School on Sept. 19, obvious repairs to the barrier were needed. During the CUSD #4 Board of Education’s meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13, the school board voted to replace the entire front-facing fence instead of making minor repairs.
“A portion of the fence is only held up by a post right now,” Superintendent Danette Young explained. “We’ve already received a check from State Farm to repair the section of the fence, but as we have gotten to look at the fence, it is all coming out of the concrete … for $5,000 more, we could just replace that whole part of the fence. We don’t have to, but as long as we are there and doing it, it would be a better look from the road.”
While some board members joked about calling the rouge driver and thanking him for the incentive to make the repair, others agreed that replacing the entirety of the fence for a slight price increase felt like a “no-brainer.”
Financial expenses and monetary responsibilities were the primary focus of the board’s monthly meeting, with a large portion of time dedicated to estimating the year’s tax levy.
Each year, the school district requests a percentage of money from local property taxes as a levy. The levy is a primary source of funding for the school. The amount of funds requested is based on the school’s expenditures. The levy can increase or decrease each year based on multiple factors.
Last year, according to Young, Crestwood School saw a 9.53 percent increase, the highest increase in several years. Young estimates the school’s Equalize Assessed Value (EAV) of properties will see a 6.5 percent increase this year. Property value is determined by the County’s Assessors Office.
The school’s current EAV is $145 million, but after careful budget tracking and consideration, Young predicts the EAV will rise to around $168 million. She explained the primary factors are a property tax increase of 14.82 percent, a bond increase and an overall increase of just over 13 percent in costs.
Young also shared she has had conversations with Deena Hasler, Edgar County’s Chief County Assessment Officer, and the county’s Clerk and Recorder August Griffin; both recommended an eight percent increase for the school’s levy. The suggested increase is credited to new homes built within the area and an evaluation change for Effingham Equity.
“This is now where we try to guess how much our EAV is going to go up in order to be able to collect all of the funds from our tax levy, and we decided what to ask for,” Young told members of the school board while presenting extensive research on the estimated school needs, expenses and various trajectories for the area the school serves.
“I think we should go over a five percent (increase),” Young said. “That means a truth in taxation hearing and a notice in the paper.”
While sharing details of her research, Young said that last year, the school levied $42,000 in IMRF funds, $131,000 in social security and $230,00 in tort funds. This year, the school plans to request $48,000 for IMRF, $139,000 for social security and $258,000 in tort funding. The funds are for both Crestwood School and Paris Cooperative High School.
“For the past several years we have asked for lower than what we have actually needed because we were spending down a fund balance. Now we are going back to levying what we think our expenses will be,” Young said.
The Illinois School Code establishes the tax levy formula. A school district can only receive a tax levy based on the final figures released by the county. If the school district asks for a levy higher than the final figures, they will only receive what is allowable by Illinois law.
Vice-versa, if the district were to ask for a levy that is lower than the county’s final figures, they would not be able to adjust the request and receive additional funding. Once a levy is filed, it cannot be increased.
“I would say that $168 million might be enough, but also, $162 million might be enough,” Young said. “It is kind of a shot in the dark. If we say that (the EAV) will go up to $162 million, but it actually goes up to $168 million then that is $4 million you will not be able to collect from taxpayers because we have told them that we don’t need that money. We usually over levy, with the hope that the number falls somewhere below the percentage we say.”
After careful consideration, the board approved a tentative levy based on an estimated EAV of $165,000,000. They also approved a resolution to abate $90,000 in taxes with one percent county sales tax.
A truth in taxation meeting will be held at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11 to finalize the proposed levy’s details.
Additional funds discussed during the meeting included;
nApproving $50,000 in Maintenance Grant funds to replace the remaining interior doors for a total estimated cost of $220,500.
nApproving a mutual settlement agreement with FGM and Henneman Engineering for overages on the school’s recent HVAC problem.
nApproving a budget of $16,000 to $18,000 for the purchase of a Chevrolet Traverse.
nAnnouncing the school is the recipient of a $50,000 Rebuild Illinois Grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.