Divided City Council approves hike in Joliet tax levy

The Joliet City Council in a divided vote on Tuesday approved a property tax levy that city officials said will cost the owner of a $200,000 house about $8.

Several residents showed up to the council meeting to object to the levy, which is going up by 6.5% although not that much for individual homeowners in Joliet.

“I understand that this is a small tax hike by comparison,” one resident said. “My whole thing is every year my taxes keep going up.”

The city also is considering hikes in the local Joliet gas tax, which will go to a vote on Dec. 17.

The council voted 5-3 for the property tax levy, which will generate an addition $3 million a year and help pay for 29 new jobs being added in city staff.

Councilman Larry Hug suggested putting some of the new jobs, which include 14 additional police officers, on hold for a year to freeze the portion of the tax levy that will affect homeowners.

Hug was among the three council members voting against the levy in the 5-3 vote. Others were Joe Clement and Jan Quillman.

Voting for the levy were Mayor Terry D’Arcy and council members Cesar Cardenas, Suzanna Ibarra, Pat Mudron and Sherri Reardon.

Councilman Cesar Guerrero was absent.

Hug, however, said the levy increase “is not something new this year,” emphasizing that most of the increase is due to new development in the city that leads to new property taxes every year. “Eighty-four percent of that increase doesn’t touch me as a homeowner or you.”

According to city officials, 1% of the levy increase will be paid by existing property owners with the remainder coming from new development.

The property tax levy sets the amount of money the city intends to collect. Most of the levy increase is covered by additional taxes generated by new development. However, if the levy did not go up, existing property owners would pay less because a larger share of the tax load would be carried by the new development.

Finance Director Kevin said the city would have to reduce services by not adding positions if the levy was not approved.

According to Sing, the impact of the higher levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 house an additional $4 in the annual property tax bill. That bill will go up $8 on a $200,000 house and $12 on a $300,000 house.

The breakdown was welcome news to one of the residents who objected to the increase.

“Thank you for explaining that,” he said.

D’Arcy said the city should have framed the levy increase in actual dollar impact on individual homeowners from the start.

“This is how it should have been presented from the very beginning: $4 for every $100,000 house,” D’Arcy said.

Ibarra said constituents concerned about the levy increase were relieved once she explained the real impact on their tax bills.

Even so, Ibarra said Joliet needs to find ways to get more tax dollars from the city’s growing warehouse industry next year when it considers a tax levy for 2026.

“We’re not rolling in dough from these warehouses,” Ibarra said. “We do have to figure out a way in the next year.”

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