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Zion council passes truth-in-taxation resolution after staff warns levy estimate will rise
Summary
City staff told the Zion City Council that, due to CEJA-related abatement rules, the city’s anticipated levy estimate is 8.77% higher than last year; the council passed a truth-in-taxation resolution and scheduled a public hearing before final adoption.
The Zion City Council voted Dec. 2 to pass a truth-in-taxation resolution after city staff said the city’s anticipated levy estimate will be 8.77% higher than the previous year, triggering the statutorily required hearing process.
Administrator Naval told the council the increase stems from how the CEJA legislation interacts with the city’s abatement procedure. “Our anticipated levy estimate is going to be an 8.77% increase over the prior year,” he said, explaining the city must raise the levy amount and then abate part of it to qualify for reimbursement under guidance from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
Naval provided the key numbers: a current levy estimate of $9,037,238 and an abatement amount of $1,538,876 that the city plans to remove after the levy is set; he said last year’s extension was $8.3 million and that the city expects an eventual net reduction of about $810,000 once abatements are applied. He said the process is driven by statutory timing and DCEO’s reimbursement rules and that the city will hold the required public hearing at the next council meeting before scheduling a subsequent special meeting to adopt the levy.
Councilors moved and seconded the resolution; the clerk called the roll and the motion carried. Commissioners recorded as voting in the transcript include Fisher (aye), Stackhouse (aye) and Ferguson (aye). The mayor also recorded an affirmative response during the roll call. No dissenting votes were recorded on the resolution in the public transcript.
The council’s passage of the truth-in-taxation resolution begins a timeline of required public notices, a public hearing at the next regular meeting and a later adoption vote. Naval said staff will follow the statutory notice windows (7–14 days) and post required materials to ensure compliance with state rules.
The council also approved routine consent items at the meeting; formal adoption of the levy will follow the scheduled public hearing and a separate adoption vote.
