Tax Official: Flawed Calculation Regarding Dist. 39's Proposed Referendum Appears on Ballot

District 39's proposed tax increase has been inaccurately calculated and dramatically underestimates the impact on taxpayers, a top tax official has said.

As it's written, the question appearing on the April 5 ballot asking voters to close the district's projected shows a $58.80 increase per $100,000 of a home's estimated value. 

But the formula used to calculate the ballot question's language excluded the state's equalizer, a number the Illinois Department of Revenue determines each year to ensure that Cook County assessments are in line with assessments from across the state.

If it was included, the figure would be $198.16 per $100,000 of a home's value, according to Ali ElSaffar, president of the Cook County Township Assessors Association, a non-governmental body comprised of assessors in 30 suburban Cook County townships. 

Despite the issues with the ballot's wording, ElSaffar noted that local school boards, like District 39, have used more accurate figures in their pro-referendum campaign efforts.

“The refrendum campaign numbers are good, the problem is if you learn the information on the ballot, you’ll get a lower number,” ElSaffar told Patch. "By excluding the state equalizer, you just can’t get a good number on the ballot."

Wilmette is one of 12 communities that used an "identical, flawed formula, " according to the statement. 

Courtney Greve, spokeswoman for Cook County Clerk David Orr's office, said "the referendum language as it appears is exactly as it was certified to us by the school district.”

Meanwhile, the district has never used the $58.80 figure on a $100,000 market value home, but instead has stated that the impact of the referendum would be $58 per $1,000 of taxes paid, or $580 on a $10,000 tax bill, according to Elizabeth Hennessy, a financial consultant for the district who works for William Blair & Company. (It is important to note that while these two figures look similar they are not related.)

In 2006, the law that stipulates the wording school districts or other public bodies must use when asking for operating increases at refrendum was changed to reflect the impact on a $100,000-valued home. So the district is not able to use its figure of $58 per $1,000 taxes paid on the ballot. Part of the goal in re-doing the language was to make these financial requests clearer to taxpayers, but officials have said it's added complications.

Superintendent Ray Lechner said the district ensured that the ballot language is accurate by hiring law firm Chapman and Cutler to act as bond counsel.

"We knew that the law [on ballot language] was poorly written before we picked the referendum question so we reviewed the ballot with Chapman and Cutler, and Hodges, Loizzi [law firm]," Lechner said, adding that he hopes the state changes the statute.

To further assure residents about its financial request, Lechner said the district has passed a resolution that states they are not going to ask for additional money outside of the funds needed to close its projected multi-million dollar gap. 

Ali ElSaffar is the Tax Assessor for Oak Park. Stay tuned to Patch for more details. Casey Cora contributed to this story.