Plainfield School District 202 Board OKs tax levy, expects lower tax rate

The board will ask for about $209 million in local property taxes

Plainfield South High School, 7800 Caton Farm Road, Joliet, seen on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.

The Plainfield Community Consolidated School District Board of Education will ask the Will and Kendall County clerks for a little over $209 million in local property taxes for its 2021 levy.

The amount the board approved on Monday is about 5.2% higher than last year’s levy, but the district said in a news release it expects its tax rate to decrease.

District officials project the district’s total tax rate will fall from $5.26 per $100 of equalized assessed value this year to about $5.08 per $100 of EAV thanks to rising property values and conservative budgeting, according to the release.

That doesn’t necessarily mean residents’ property tax bills won’t increase since other local governments collect property taxes. The school district also doesn’t control the assessment of property values which would ultimately affect how much residents pay.

This will be the seventh straight year the district anticipates its tax rate to drop. The property tax rate has fallen 16% since the 2014-2015 school year when it was $6.26 per $100, the district said.

The district said governments routinely request more money than needed to ensure they capture their full share of taxes. If governments ask for less than what they ultimately are due, they lose any funds greater than what was expected.

Of the total proposed 2021 levy, about 86% will go to the district’s operating funds for education, operations and maintenance, transportation, working cash, IMRF, special education and tort, according to the release.