Plainfield Village Board passes property tax levy

Plainfield Village Board members called for a reduction in the village’s property tax rate but still passed the same levy as the year before.

On Monday, the board voted to approve a $7.7 million tax levy for this year, about a week after it rejected the same level with some trustees wanting to see the amount lowered.

While the tax levy passed, multiple members voiced concern that residents will experience some “sticker shock” when they see their property tax bills for this year. That is due largely to the spike in property values, which would affect how much property owners pay to local governments.

The board had to approve a levy before the end of the calendar year in order to collect those taxes, but it does not have to approve its next budget until some time in the spring.

For every dollar paid in property tax, about 5.5 cents goes to the village, according to a village memo.

Trustee Harry Benton voted against the levy last week, but he voted for it Monday in order to meet the Dec. 31 deadline. Going forward, he said, the village should look to “see if it can clean up the budget” by “reducing some of our costs” while not impeding services.

Trustee Brian Wojowski voted against the levy both times. He said it “pains” him to see other taxing bodies reduce their levies while the village maintains the same amount, though he said it was “admirable” the village has not raised it.

“The no vote last time was an attempt to force the village to lower the tax levy,” Wojowski said at Monday’s meeting.

Mayor John Argoudelis said the village will likely lower its rate to offset the rise in property values and spoke of the “desire to run as efficient an operation so as to not overtax our residents.”

“We will all be working together to make sure that we have as lean and clean a budget,” Argoudelis said during Monday’s meeting.

Argoudelis noted residents pay a disproportionate share of property taxes to the village as compared businesses at a rate of about 88%. He has proposed a solution to the imbalance by calling for more industrial development so large companies can generate more revenue.

Argoudelis pointed to the Diageo warehouse as an example of a business contributing to the village’s property tax. The beverage company’s facility produces about $90,000 in property taxes for the village and over $1 million for Plainfield School District 202, he said.

The mayor has called for the creation of a new industrial park on the western portion of 143rd Street since the road will be extended to allow for access to multiple highways. Some trustees have expressed skepticism about such a development and worry about the impact of truck traffic on residents in that area.

Before any big projects get approved, the village still has to prepare for its next budget. The mayor said the village will do some “pencil sharpening” to find cost savings so taxes will remain as low as possible on residents.

“We are all cognizant of the fact that nobody wants to pay more taxes than they have to,” Argoudelis said during Monday’s meeting. “None of us do. I don’t and none of the trustees sitting here do either.”