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Public commenter urges Warrenville to use home‑rule sales tax revenue to lower property taxes
Summary
At a Warrenville Public Safety and Finance Committee meeting, public commenter Bob Sbert argued the city failed to follow Ordinance 2118’s guidance to consider property‑tax reductions once home‑rule sales‑tax revenue materialized and said recent levies have disproportionately harmed taxpayers.
Bob Sbert, a member of the public, told the Warrenville Public Safety and Finance Committee that the city has not upheld a promise to use home‑rule sales‑tax revenue to reduce property taxes.
Sbert said the budget levied a 6.96% increase that, because the city’s rate calculation excludes properties inside TIF 3 and TIF 4, will produce a larger effective city tax rate for owners outside those TIF districts — “it will exceed 8% on the city's portion for individuals outside of TIF 3 and TIF 4,” he said. He argued that when the denominator excludes TIF properties, the rate is larger and TIF property owners end up paying an even larger rate when the city applies that rate within the districts.
Sbert cited Ordinance 2118, passed March 1, 2004, which he said established a policy to consider property‑tax reductions or abatements when home‑rule sales‑tax revenue began to generate funds for the city. He referenced the city budget’s projection that home‑rule sales‑tax revenue for fiscal 2025 would total $284,000 and urged the council to use that new revenue to relieve property‑tax pressure. “This administration for the past 20 years has chosen to throw the taxpayers under the bus,” he said.
Sbert also noted other revenue sources he said were not reflected in the budget backup, including ongoing sales‑tax growth and 2024 development activity, and warned that compounding rate increases would further burden long‑time residents.
The committee did not take formal action in response to the comment. The committee proceeded with scheduled agenda items after public testimony.
