Huntley approves small property tax levy increase

Huntley residents might pay a few dollars more on their village property taxes next year.

The Village Board last week approved a slight rise in the tax levy, with the additional funds slated to cover an increase in police pension costs.

The board had looked at several scenarios last month, but settled on an option where the increase matched the police pension increase.

The total levy in Huntley is about $5.48 million for next year, up from the $5.3 million this year. New growth is expected to absorb most of the increase, according to village documents.

A homeowner with property worth $325,000 paid $465 in Huntley taxes last year, according to village documents, that home is now worth about $365,000, with a tax bill of $472 under the new levy.

Another option the board looked at was to keep the levy flat. In that scenario, the homeowner’s tax bill to Huntley would have decreased about $10, to $456. The levy would have remained at $5.3 million.

The third scenario would have kept the limiting rate the same, according to village documents. Had that been approved, the levy would have increased to $6.07 million. The homeowner’s tax bill under that scenario would have increased to about $523, about a $57 increase.

The village board reached a consensus to move forward with the second option last month. It was the scenario the budget was based on and the option the board chose last year, according to village documents.

Ultimately, the proposed levy passed 4-0, though trustees didn’t comment on it before last week’s vote. Trustees JR Westberg and Harry Leopold were absent from that meeting.

Huntley last week also passed next year’s budget by a 4-0 vote. It was just more than $44.1 million, Village Manager Dave Johnson said. The village board had scheduled a public hearing about the budget Thursday, but no one spoke during the hearing nor during public comments earlier in the meeting.