Finance chief recommends 2.9% 2025 tax levy request; explains tax‑cap, recapture and timeline

The district’s chief financial officer presented the recommended 2025 tax‑levy request at the Oct. 16 meeting and advised the board to seek a 2.9% levy increase, subject to later county calculations of equalized assessed value that determine the actual extension billed to taxpayers.

The presenter explained the distinction between the levy (the board’s request) and the extension (the actual billed amount determined later by county EAV and tax‑cap rules). He reminded the board that District 109 is subject to the state tax cap, which limits extension growth to the lesser of the prior year’s consumer price index (CPI) or 5%; for calendar‑year 2024 CPI was reported at 2.9%.

He also described supplemental options: a resolution to increase the debt‑service extension base so the district can capture CPI and EAV changes for debt service in future years, and a separate recapture levy mechanism that collects prior years’ uncollected taxes (for example, from successful tax appeals) and spreads the shortfall across the district the following year. The presentation said the district’s finance committee reviewed the projections and that a public Truth in Taxation hearing and formal board action are planned in November before filing in December; the county will establish the extension in the spring and taxes are generally collected the following summer/fall.

Board members asked clarifying questions about when to reinstate or abate debt‑service extensions and how recapture amounts are calculated; staff said prior abatement and reinstatement decisions reflected long‑term budget philosophy and that recapture amounts are calculated independently by the county clerk.