Officials pledge to lower next year’s property tax levy

With work on a fiscal year 2021 budget yet to get underway, Orland Park trustees say they want to craft a property tax levy that lowers the tax burden on residents, although by how much is an unanswered question.

A resolution adopted by the Village Board doesn’t actually commit the village to reduce the levy, and it also calls on other taxing bodies, such as local school districts, to do likewise.

The 4-3 vote at Monday’s meeting came after failed attempts to delay the measure and alter the language.

Orland Park’s annual property tax levy has been unchanged for at least the past eight years, with the levy approved late last year for the current fiscal year seeking $13.4 million in property tax revenue.

Based on the levy, the typical Orland Park homeowner was expected to pay about $450 in property taxes to the village. That is separate from what taxpayers are charged by other taxing bodies, such as school districts and the county.

Trustee Kathy Fenton said she thought it was too soon for the board to consider lowering the tax levy for 2021 when officials don’t yet have a clear picture of what shape village finances are in.

The budget for the fiscal year, which follows the calendar year, and levy are typically approved in December.

“To make a commitment at this point in time seems premature,” she said.

At a committee meeting scheduled for Aug. 17, village staff and the board will take the first step in plotting next year’s budget with a mid-year review of the village’s financial condition.

Early on in the pandemic, officials estimated lost revenues, such as sales tax, exceeding $4 million due to restrictions in place at the time on businesses.

Sales tax revenue traditionally has been the village’s largest revenue source, generally coming in at $30 million annually, including revenue from Orland Park’s home rule sales tax of 0.75%.

A motion to delay action on the tax levy resolution until after the mid-year review failed on a 4-3 vote.

An attempt to amend the resolution to ask other taxing bodies to cut their levies, only if it’s possible to do without affecting essential services, also failed by a 4-3 vote.

Trustee James Dodge called the resolution an “inherently political document” and that in approving it village officials are suggesting leadership of other taxing bodies are not being fiscally responsible.

Dodge asked village attorney Dennis Walsh what the resolution accomplished. Unlike an ordinance that has some enforcement language, a resolution is essentially a formal expression of opinion or policy, he told the board.

Trustee Michael Milani said that even if the resolution is largely symbolic, it demonstrates that “we’re trying to do the best we can” to be good stewards of taxpayers’ money.

“We can try our best to find a way” to reduce the levy, he said.