Homer Glen considers four possible levies, including a rebate or tax increase
Homer Glen officials are debating four options for its 2021 levy that could offer residents a small discount or a slight increase on their property tax bills.
The levy, which must be approved by Dec. 28, is necessary to pay for maintenance of the roads, including plowing and salting, since the village earlier this year took control of them from the Homer Township Road District. The village is also planning to take control of six parks from Homer Township starting in May and will need to maintain them.
As a result, the township’s levy will go down, but the village’s should rise.
“Our goal is to continue the high service level that has been delivered to the residents at minimal impact to the residents,” interim village manager Matt Walsh said.
When looking at the aggregate of the township and village levies, the tax impact for the residents could be as low as a $27 rebate for a resident with a home valued at about $300,000 or a tax increase of $24 to $36 for a similarly valued home over the previous year, depending on which of the four options the village board chooses, village treasurer John Sawyers said.
In one scenario, the tax impact of the 2021 property tax levy would be the same as last year’s.
“The village has always paid taxes for public works,” Walsh said. “It just wasn’t under the village of Homer Glen tax line.”
“The (levies) that staff had proposed included an increase to the village municipal property tax but overall that impact is alleviated by decreases elsewhere because we are now responsible for operating the roads and the Homer Township Road District isn’t,” he said.
The village board scheduled a special meeting on Dec. 20 to vote on the tax levy. Board members concerned about taxes on the residents said they want to do more research before voting.
“Why are we not looking at cutbacks for the village?” Trustee Jennifer Consolino said. “I want to hear alternatives and I want to hear about cutbacks.”
She said trustees are exploring numerous options to fund the public works department.
Trustee Ruben Pazmino said he would like to look at other ways to raise revenue, such as loosening gambling regulations, instead of raising property taxes.
“Let’s look at other ways that we could subsidize some of this instead of raising the property tax,” he said.
Trustee Rose Reynders said the village should look at ways to receive revenue from shoppers who don’t live in Homer Glen but come to its big box stores or special events.
“Let the people that are coming from all over support us as well,” she said.
Mayor George Yukich said this is a “learning process” since this is the village’s first time handling the roads.
In April, the Will County Circuit Court ruled that the village of Homer Glen was able to take control of the Homer Township Road District’s assets, equipment and property. The village previously had relied on the township to maintain 135 miles of its roads, but wanted more control, especially because the intergovernmental agreement could have been canceled with a year’s notice.
Homer Glen in December 2020 levied for $1.5 million in anticipation of receiving control of the road district as Homer Township filed a lawsuit trying to stop the village.
In June, the township dropped its appeal of the circuit court’s decision, and the village and the township have spent the last several months transferring equipment and property and divvying responsibilities. The village will now be responsible for snow plowing, tree trimming and major repairs to all roads within the village and about 18 to 21 miles of unincorporated township roads.
The Homer Township Road District will handle such field duties as dead animal removal, pothole patching and drain cleaning and will be responsible for road bids and inspections.
Because of its reduced responsibilities, the township road district’s levy will be lowered from $5 million to $1.75 million. It is expected to be approved at Monday’s Homer Township meeting, Supervisor Steve Balich said.
Likewise, the township’s levy for its parks is expected to decrease from $315,000 to $100,000 as it plans to turn over six of its parks within Homer Glen boundaries to the village in May, the start of the village’s fiscal year.
Walsh said the village’s goal will be to find efficiencies and cost savings when performing road and park maintenance.
Water sources
The Homer Glen board also voted Wednesday not to join Joliet and its newly formed water commission.
Joliet has reached out to nearby communities including Homer Glen, Lemont, Minooka, Montgomery and Romeoville, to gauge interest in joining a regional water commission.
Joliet plans to pump in Lake Michigan water from Chicago by 2030 because its aquifers are not expected to meet the needs of its residents within the next decade.
Homer Glen officials said the price tag of joining Joliet could reach upward of $75 million by the time all the new infrastructure is built, and it would not help existing Homer Glen residents with their high water bills.
Homer Glen is in litigation as a member of the Northern Will County Water Agency against its water supplier. The water agency, which also includes Bolingbrook, Lemont, Woodridge and Romeoville, filed a condemnation lawsuit against American Lake Water Company and Illinois American Water in 2014, which has been continued to next June.