District 59's chief school business official briefed the board on an adjusted tax-levy calendar and near-term budget-adoption steps after county tax-extension data were delayed. The business official said local timing changes are necessary to meet statutory public-notice requirements when external county information is not yet available.

Why it matters: the tax levy is a principal revenue mechanism for the district. County delays in publishing the prior year's extension and new-construction figures complicate the district's ability to prepare a precise levy estimate in the statutorily required time frame.

Levy timing and legal notice

The presenter said county extensions are normally provided in March and that this year Cook County had not yet provided the extension figures the district expects to use for the levy estimate. Because Illinois law requires the district to publish a legal notice at least 20 days before adoption and maintain a public display of the budget for 30 days, staff proposed folding the public hearing and adoption onto the same board meeting to provide convenience for taxpayers and to keep the statutory requirements in order.

Assumptions and estimates

The business official said: "This year's levy is driven based on last year's CPI, which is 2.9." He said the unknowns for the levy estimate are new construction and the prior year's extension figure from the county; staff plan to use the best available estimate and adjust later if necessary. He told the board he did not expect the timing uncertainty to create a major fiscal issue for the district but asked for flexibility in scheduling.

Budget adoption and next steps

Staff indicated the budget adoption is scheduled for the next board meeting in the current calendar plan, and that the board will also authorize the superintendent or designee to continue work on next year's budget projections. The presenter said district practice is to produce multi-year projections and that the budget-adoption steps and levy notice will be coordinated with the board meeting schedule.

Ending

Board members were asked to approve minor calendar changes and to expect an estimate before formal adoption; staff said they will publish the legally required notices and update the board when county figures arrive.