Two-Thirds of Perry County Towns and School Districts Increase Levies

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Residents can expect to begin receiving tax bills in the mail this week. Some may have already arrived.

Each taxing body asks for a specific amount of money which is then translated into a tax rate per $100 of equalized assessed value (EAV) of their property, which is approximately one-third of the value of the property. For example, a $100,000 home would have an EAV of $33,333.

Each taxing body is allowed an annual increase of five percent. If the proposed levy will be more than 105 percent of the previous year's levy, a Truth in Taxation hearing must be held before the levy is turned into the County Clerk's office in December.

The total EAV for Perry County is $164,767,146, said County Clerk Kevin Kern. It's up about $3.5 million from the previous year. A higher EAV results in lower tax rates for the individual taxing bodies.

There are 36 taxing bodies and two TIF districts in Perry County. Twenty-one taxing bodies had an increased tax rate.

The largest increase of 17.9 percent was for residents in the 204 School District. The rate there went from $3.0518 to $3.6003, an increase of just under $.55. However, residents in the 204 District still pay a little less for K-12 education than those in Du Quoin District 300. The CCSD 204 and Pinckneyville Dist. 101 rates add up to $5.5602.

Du Quoin Dist. 300 has the highest tax rate of any taxing body in Perry County at $5.6666, up from $5.5647 in the previous year.

The next highest increase was for the City of Du Quoin. Du Quoin has abated their tax levy for the past several years. This year, everything but the pension fund was abated. Residents will pay $.3492 this year.

Two of the taxing bodies, Cutler Library and Willisville Library both remained the same. The remaining 13 taxing bodies showed a decrease in their tax rates. For example, the County's tax rate dropped from $1.2585 to $1.1902 The county's drop of just under $.07 was the largest decrease.

The due date for the first installment is Oct. 16. Illinois law requires all property owners to make the first installment on time. The second installment will be due Nov. 20.

Payments may be made in person at all local banks or at Taylor's office in the Perry County Government Building on Route 13/127. After-hours payments may be placed in the drop box at the Government Building. Credit card payments may be made at www.illinoispay.com or by calling (877)453-3729.