The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Joy Swearingen, Quill correspondent
The Illini West High School board approved documents relating to the 2022 tax levy for local property taxes. At their meeting Nov. 16, the board set a Truth in Taxation hearing for 7 p.m. at the start of their Dec. 21 meeting.
The property taxes extended for 2021 were $3,119,777. The proposed estimated property taxes to be requested for 2022 are $3,694,000. This represents an 18 percent increase over the previous year.
Superintendent Jay Harnack explained that the levy request is a document filed each year with the County Clerk.
“It is an ‘ask for’ type of document. The district is asking for tax money up to the amount listed, but (cannot receive) more than the amount that is generated by the approved tax rates,” Harnack said. “The result is something that says 18 percent, but that’s not what will occur.
“This is an important distinction. The county clerk multiplies the tax rate by the assessed property values (EAV) of our district to determine how much tax money we are legally allowed to receive.”
The actual amount of tax revenues received (the extension) resulting from the levy is often not the same as the amount the district requests.
At this time, the EAV of the property in the district is not yet known. If the district levy is less than what the legal tax rate will generate, the district will get only the levy amount and not the full amount possible by the legal rate.
The school district gets about 65 percent of its funds from local tax money. Harnack told the board that
IWHS tax rates remain near 10-year lows, and are 11 cents lower than they were seven years ago.
“Our district will continue to work to find a balance between maximizing opportunities for our students and minimizing the impact on our taxpayers,” Harnack said.
The public hearing on Dec. 21 is a time when residents of the district can ask questions and make comments on the proposed 2022 levy before the board takes action.
HLS Survey amendment
The board approved an amendment to the 10-year Health, Life Safety Survey, adding improvements to galvanized plumbing and windows. This will let the district spend HLS money in the future on these issues as needed. It is not an obligation of funds by the district.
The review, provided by Veregy, showed a potential cost of $1,080,000 for plumbing work, and $480,000 in window replacement.
The board filed a Certificate of Need based on the report of BLDD architects, stating that the work is necessary to put the district in compliance with school code requirements. Plans will be submitted to the regional superintendent for review and approval.
The board voted to apply for a $50,000 Illinois matching maintenance grant for school districts. If received, this money would be used for plumbing work to improve drinking fountains, toilets and lavatories in locker rooms, and window upgrades as the budget allows.
The district match could come from the HLS fund or the maintenance fund. The estimated cost of these improvements is $200,000.
Financial report shows high rating
The board received and approved the annual district financial report from Jeff McPherson of Gray, Hunter Stenn LLP.
McPherson said the district earned the highest 4.0 rating, noting the district has good cash balances, with 351 days of cash on hand.
The 79-page report reviewed accounts and procedures of the district’s finances. Findings in the report included the problem of “segregation of duties” which happens in many smaller districts, when one person does several of the bookkeeping duties.
A statement from Harnack in the report noted that it is not practical to hire more personnel to create a separation of duties. However he noted ways that the district works to assure the security of district funds.
“We will be reviewing processes to ensure everything that can be done will be done to improve compliance,” Harnack said in the report.
Illini West will lease four buses to replace the five that have leases ending this year. Harnack received lease quotes from two vendors. After review by the transportation committee, leases for Saf-T-Liner C2 buses from Midwest Bus Sales were approved.
These include five-year leases for two 2024, 71-passenger buses at $22,111 per year; a one-year lease for one 2020, 71-passenger bus at $17,397 per year; and a one-year lease for a 2021, 65+1 passenger, lift bus at $21,503 per year.
In other board action the board approved hiring Michael Brannick as custodian, Kailea Blake as district administrative assistant, Shawn Watkins as assistant wrestling coach, and Nick Klein as volunteer assistant wrestling coach.
Five overnight trips were approved for wrestling tournaments and meets in December and January.
The board learned the district has received a commendable rating in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act accountability system.
The annual district Statement of Affairs was published in newspapers and on the website, and was sent to the Regional Office of Education and county courthouses.