After months of hints and backtracks by Board members regarding additional taxes for the coming fiscal year, and against the explicit support for such tax hikes by Board CFO Kathy Hopkinson, the Kane County Board has approved a budget of $394 million for Fiscal Year 2024 without raising property taxes.
“With deliberation, the Kane County Board voted to use its reserve fund to balance this year’s budget, marking the 14th year of a restrained property tax levy,” said Kane County Board Chairman Corinne Pierog. “The budget would not have been possible if not for the talents of our county staff, especially the Kane County Departments of Finance, Human Resources and Transportation.”
The key factor in support of a tax hike for the coming fiscal year, according to Board members, is the need to keep salaries and benefits competitive with those of surrounding areas.
While the country has sufficient reserves to cover such discrepancies for the time being, it is expected that the Board will continue to assess other forms of revenue enhancement, including a potential county sales tax. A referendum would be required to establish such a tax, and the first opportunity for such a referendum would come in April 2024.
Several Board members, including Pierog, are up for reelection in 2024.
Kane County government represents 4% of a property owner’s overall tax bill. The largest portion of tax bills goes to school districts; the remaining portion go to other local governments in the County (see chart). Each local government sets their own tax levy and Kane County government has no authority over other local government’s property tax levies.
