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Joliet council adopts 2025 tax levies; finance staff says rate likely to hold
Summary
Council adopted levies for the Julian Public Library and the City of Joliet for the 2025 fiscal year; finance staff said the levy increase is driven by new construction and should not raise the tax rate for existing taxpayers, though some members warned it increases total tax collections.
The Joliet City Council adopted the ordinances setting the 2025 levy and assessment of taxes for both the Julian Public Library and the City of Joliet. Finance staff explained the levy was calculated to rely primarily on new construction and new growth so the tax rate charged to existing taxpayers should remain stable or decline once reassessments are factored in.
"We've structured this one based on the amount of new construction, not the reassessments," said a city finance representative, noting the incremental levy is funded by new properties and new growth. A council member responded that raising the levy means the municipality will collect more tax overall: "We are increasing the levy ... and that's what the levy is, the amount of tax we're gonna collect," the member said. The council debated the balance between collecting additional revenue now and the potential for reassessments to alter the effective rate.
After discussion the council voted to adopt the levies by roll call. City staff said the county will apply reassessments separately and that the city structured the levy to avoid increasing the taxpayer rate where possible.
