Grayslake District 46 adopts $45.1M 2025 property tax levy, gets clean audit and discusses county sales tax ballot option

At its Nov. 19 meeting, the Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46 Board of Education adopted the district's 2025 property tax levy and approved related financial items after a series of presentations from district finance staff and the board‑appointed audit partner.

Levy and formal actions The board approved the 2025 tax levy in the total amount of $45,098,190 by roll call vote. The motion covered the certificate of tax levy and related resolutions for special education, IMRF, working cash, tort, and a supplemental levy to pay principal and interest on outstanding limited bonds. The board later approved the district audit and a K–4 security camera contract with Forward Edge, and then approved the consent agenda including the personnel addendum.

Audit results and single audit status An audit partner from Baker Tilly briefed the board on the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, saying the independent auditors' report contained an unmodified (clean) opinion. The partner advised the board to read the management's discussion and analysis and the transmittal letter for context. He also said the single audit of federal awards is not yet issued because the federal compliance supplement and related OMB guidance remain pending; the firm reported no findings to date on tested federal programs and expects to issue the single audit once federal guidance is released.

Five‑year projections and cost drivers District finance staff presented five‑year projections built with Frontline analytics and noted several risk drivers: a CPI value used for levy projections of 2.9% (September value), expected health‑insurance renewals of 17–22% in the coming year, and continued increases in special education tuition (presented as a 15%–17% driver). The finance presentation assumed the district could shift from Tier 1 to Tier 2 state funding in 2028, reducing annual Tier funding from roughly $1.2 million to about $600,000 and affecting long‑term revenues. The finance presenter said the district had issued $17 million in debt certificates tied to the long‑range facility plan and that operational fund balance drawdowns from 2022–2025 were intentional and linked to capital spending.

County sales facility tax (CSFT) discussion Finance staff presented a countywide County Sales Facility Tax (CSFT) proposal that would allow voters to approve up to a 1% sales tax (local boards set the specific fraction) restricted to capital improvements. The district would receive a share based on enrollment if Lake County voters approve the measure and participating districts representing at least 51% of county enrollment file resolutions in support. A rough estimate presented in the meeting suggested a 1% tax could generate about $46 million countywide, with District 46’s share estimated at roughly $1.4 million per year based on current enrollment proportions. Presenters noted key exemptions (groceries and certain other items) and that the revenue could be used for facility renovations, safety/security, and energy efficiency — but not for salaries or general operating costs. Board members expressed general support for exploring the option further and asked administration to coordinate with other Lake County districts.

What comes next Administration and finance staff said they would schedule an earlier finance committee meeting to examine new information and recommend next steps. If the board wishes to seek placement of a CSFT question on the ballot, districts representing at least 51% of county enrollment must adopt resolutions by Aug. 16, 2026, for a target November 2026 election; collections would begin Jan. 1, 2027, if approved by voters.

Numbers and context taken from public presentations and the board's roll call votes are reflected in the public record of the Nov. 19 meeting.