Morton CUSD 709 board approves 2025 levy after Truth-in-Taxation hearing
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Summary
After a required Truth-in-Taxation hearing, the Morton CUSD 709 Board of Education approved the district's 2025 levy resolution. Administrators reported year-end fund balances and explained the levy mechanics in a tax-cap county; the motion passed on a unanimous roll-call vote.
The Morton CUSD 709 Board of Education approved its 2025 levy resolution after conducting a Truth-in-Taxation hearing at its December meeting.
A district administrator opened the hearing and read year-end fund balances for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, reporting the education fund at just over $24,000,000; operations and maintenance at about $17.0 million; bond and interest at about $17.7 million (as reported); the transportation fund at about $724,000; IMRF and Social Security just under $900,000; working cash over $4,000,000; and tort at about $611,000. The administrator said the district is not proposing a levy increase above the legal cap but noted total taxes billed to property owners can rise when equalized assessed value (EAV) grows in the district.
"As part of being in a tax cap county ... you don't want to leave any money off of the levy because then that will compound forever," the administrator said, describing how under-levying today reduces future levy capacity.
During public questions, a resident asked whether the process represented a new tax increase or merely an extension. The administrator explained that the levy approval is an annual statutory step that directs the county clerk to collect amounts the district seeks; changes in EAV and the CPI cap (the administrator noted a 2.9% CPI figure used for calculations) affect the district's final revenues and may lead to higher tax bills even when the district does not exceed statutory limits.
At the action portion of the meeting the board moved to approve the 2025 levy resolution "as presented." The roll-call vote recorded the following: Mrs. Lehman — Yes; Dr. Kroll — Yes; Mrs. Purdy — Yes; Dr. Cross — Yes; Mr. Olensorge — Yes; Mr. Rudd — Yes; Mr. Roth — Yes. The motion passed unanimously.
The board's approval sends the levy paperwork to the county clerk to set the final tax levy to be collected in the 2026–27 tax cycle. No additional fiscal details about the precise tax rate or estimated homeowner impact were provided during the hearing.