Lee County taxpayers will see increase on property tax bills next year

DIXON — Lee County taxpayers will see an increase on their property tax bills next year.

On Nov. 21, Lee County Board members voted 16-4 to approve a property tax rate of 89.84 cents per $100 equalized assessed value for fiscal 2024. The fiscal 2023 rate was 85.63 cents.

The new rate results in an estimated annual tax bill increase of $18.95 for a home valued at $135,000, according to the proposed tax levy ordinance.

The 2024 property tax levy is $8,759,500, which is $502,851 – or 6.09% – more than what was levied for 2023. The increase primarily is because of the annual consumer price index of 5% and an estimated new property assessed value of $6.5 million, according to the proposed tax levy ordinance.

The majority of the roughly $8.76 million property tax levy – $6.85 million of it – will go into the General Fund. The remainder will go to various ancillary funds.

Board members Ron Gascoigne, Angie Shippert, Lirim Mimini and Ali Huss voted no. There were no comments offered by board members on the property tax levy prior to the vote.

Also at the Nov. 21 meeting, County Board members voted 17-3 to approve a $17,134,122 budget for the county’s General Fund for fiscal 2024. It’s a little less than the anticipated revenues of $17,134,980.

Shippert, Huss and Mimini voted against the budget. Board members did not comment on the budget prior to voting.

“Basically, we have a balanced budget,” Lee County Treasurer Paul Rudolphi said in a Nov. 29 interview, referring to the difference between the General Fund’s expenses and anticipated revenues.

General Fund budgeted expenses are as follows: Wages, $8,196,563; benefits, $2,704,433; contractual, $3,064,597; supplies, $681,950; conferences and training, $129,950; utilities, $423,898; debt, $1,017,230; capital projects, $76,500; and other, $839,000.

The budget and levy ordinances can be found under section XIV. Unfinished Business, items A and B, at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/FY2024LeeCountyBudget.

County Board member and Finance Committee Chairman Jim Schielein thanked the committee members and county department heads for their work on putting together the 2024 budget and levy.