The city portion of the 2025 property tax bill will likely go up for Sycamore residents after the Sycamore City Council voted to keep the same tax rate that was used for the previous billing cycle.

That decision means the owner of a home that did not increase in value would pay the same amount as last year, but if the property’s value increased, so would the city portion of their property tax bill. The average value of a home in Sycamore, $305,704, has gone up 4.9% over the past year, according to Zillow.

City Manager Michael Hall presented the Sycamore City Council with an option that would have kept the city’s property tax levy at $3.79 million, the same as in 2024, but elected officials opted to go a different direction.

During a Nov. 17 City Council meeting, 3rd Ward Alderman Marvin Barnes successfully advocated for the city to keep the same tax rate instead. He said the city has decreased the property tax rate by 30.4% since 2023, and described keeping the overall property tax levy request the same, as the city “losing” revenue.

“We can’t continue down this path; otherwise, we’re going to be in trouble,” Barnes said. “Let’s play a little piggy move up, let’s keep the tax rate the same.”

By keeping the tax rate the same, taxpayers will be billed proportionally to the value of their home, the same as they were the previous year. However, it guarantees a higher tax bill from the city if a property’s value increases by any amount.

It also means the city could collect an estimated $304,921 more in property taxes next year.

The Sycamore City Council unanimously voted on Dec. 1 to increase the city’s 2025 property tax levy, billed in 2026, to $4.09 million.

Sycamore’s actual property tax rate for 2024, which was billed in 2025, was $0.55, according to the 2024 DeKalb County tax computation report. An estimated tax rate was not included in the agenda documents for either the Nov. 17 or Dec. 1 meeting, but the amount of the proposed property tax levy extension was.

The Sycamore Public Library’s proposed 2025 property tax levy extension request of $1.7 million, a $177,500 increase from the most recent billing cycle, was also approved by the Sycamore City Council in the same unanimous vote on property taxes.

Just before the vote, 4th Ward Alderman David Stouffer thanked city officials for their efforts to help balance the city’s budget without increasing the property tax rate.

“Nice job to Michael and Kristian [Dominguez] for putting together a budget that did not increase the rates there, so thank you for doing that,” Stouffer said.

No other member of the City Council commented before the tax rate vote on Dec. 1, nor did any member of the public during a public hearing held on the proposed tax levy in November.

During the discussion about Barnes’ proposal to keep the tax rate the same on Nov. 17, 2nd Ward Alderman Chuck Stowe said he was in favor of keeping the tax rate the same.

“Personally, I think yeah, let’s stay with the same rate, get some more money for it,” Stowe said. “That will give Michael some more room to do some more budgeting.”

During that November meeting, 3rd Ward Alderwoman Nancy Copple said she thinks the city needs better community engagement and wants to see someone hired to help with it.

“I like the two options, but I like the idea of increasing the tax rate just a little bit so we can get that extra person.”