Journal Reporter

The Des Plaines Elementary Dist. 62 tax levy has increased by 25% this year, and the board of education held a public hearing and voted on the levy on Tuesday.

The school district has proposed a tax year 2004 levy of $43,316,592.24. The amount represents a 25.28% increase over the previous year.

According to district staff, the Cook County tax cap will be lifted for one year, and the district will levy to the full amount possible, as approved by referendum in April. The tax levy is the district's property tax collection request to Cook County.

After one year, the Cook County tax cap will go back into effect and the amount of property tax collections will decrease. The tax cap limits the amount that the school district can collect. Tax caps prevent tax rates from rising by more than 5% or the consumer price index, whichever percentage is less. The tax cap will return in Des Plaines Elementary Dist. 62 next year.

About $7 million will come into the district this year, with half requested now and half to be requested in the fall.

The total property taxes extended or abated for the tax year 2003 were $34,575,851.82, about a 3.43% increase from the previous year.

The corporate and special purpose property taxes extended or abated for taxing year 2002 were $33,568,609.