Highwood council abates bond levies, adopts 2025 tax levy ordinance

The City of Highwood City Council on Nov. 18 approved two ordinances abating tax levies for prior general-obligation bond series and adopted the city's 2025 tax levy ordinance, voting unanimously on each measure.

Council considered Ordinance 11.1 to abate the levy for a 2020 general-obligation bond (the transcript identifies the series and a $2,100,000 figure). City staff explained that an abatement allows principal and interest due on the bond to be paid from alternative revenue sources rather than the tax levy. The council moved, seconded and approved the abatement on a roll-call vote with all members recorded as voting aye.

The council then approved Ordinance 11.2 to abate the levy for a 2021 general-obligation bond; the motion to waive first reading and approve passed on roll call. The transcript includes an upper-limit phrase for the 2021 series that was not fully clear in the record.

On the separate ordinance setting the city's 2025 levy, city staff (identified in the discussion as Scott) told the council the levy under consideration was about 4.9%, which he said "keeps us within limits of [proof] of taxation," while noting that with current property-value growth the effective increase to taxpayers could be closer to roughly 2 percent. The council voted to adopt the levy ordinance; the motion carried on a unanimous roll call.

Financial details reported in the meeting record were not fully explicit for every line-item: where amounts were unclear in the transcript the council's action is recorded here as passed but the precise numeric limits referenced were listed in the record in phrasing that was not fully specified.

The ordinances take effect as adopted; council members did not identify any further public hearings or additional procedural steps during the meeting.