DeKalb School District 428 Board approves controversial tax levy amid pressure from taxpayers

DeKALB – With a deadline looming and dozens of concerned residents awaiting a decision, the DeKalb School District 428 Board on Thursday adopted its 2023 property tax levy, which likely won’t bring with it an uptick on many residents’ bills come spring.

The board voted unanimously after weeks of back-and-forth between members of the public and the district.

About a dozen people, including some DeKalb city officials, turned out to speak during the special meeting.

DeKalb resident and local business owner Maria Pena Graham argued that district officials should take into consideration that DeKalb schools make up the majority of residents’ property tax bills.

“D-428 gets 60.3% of that portion of tax that I pay in every year,” Pena Graham said. “That is over half of my entire tax bill. To me, that’s really huge. The other taxing bodies, what they receive is very disproportionate to what the school is getting.

“The administration, to me, is not presenting an accurate picture of what is happening tonight to the majority of the citizens in our community.”

Public school taxes make up the majority of most residents’ property tax bills.

According to the district’s calculations, under the approved levy with a 5.52% tax rate, a homeowner with a home worth $275,000 in 2023 would owe $5,211 on their 2023 property tax bill, compared with $5,220 in 2022. That’s a difference of $9.

District staff had recommended a rate of 5.9%, however, according to district documents.

The special meeting was necessary to allow the board to attempt another approval of the 2023 tax levy after two previous votes failed. By state statute, the district is required to file a certificate of tax levy with the county clerk by the last Tuesday in December.

The district had reached a consensus at a previous special meeting to proceed with considering a proposal with an estimated tax rate of 5.52%. DeKalb schools are expected to collect $71.2 million through its tax levy.

Initial public outcry was prompted in November after District 428 staff proposed a property tax levy that would have seen residents pay upward of $400 more on their 2023 property tax bills if approved.

Mayor Cohen Barnes said he supports the tax levy option the board authorized.

“We’ve had a lot of spirit week during this process,” Barnes said. “You know that there’s a lot of passionate people on the board. There’s a lot of passionate people in the community. And I just want to commend you all for ultimately doing what you thought was in the best interest of the district as well as in the best interest of the taxpayer.

“The proposal that is before you tonight, I’m in full support of. I want to thank the superintendent and president of the school board for the time.”

Board member Christopher Boyes said he stands by the district’s levy option.

“I fully support the levy that the district has brought before us this evening at this point,” Boyes said. “We have had weeks, or, really pretty much just a straight month of collaboration from multiple parties to get to this amount.”