Formal approval is yet to occur, but members of the Vermilion County Board have a tentative new tax levy as work on next year’s budget continues. Bill Pickett has more…
Steve Miller is the chairman of the County Board’s Finance Committee….
{The levy is very similar to the amount that was approved last year by the county board. So, I don’t think we see a major increase. In fact we see a very minor increase at the way the levy is presently being presented. And (it) should result in a lower tax rate for county taxpayers unless their equalized assessed valuation has increased.}
Miller also gave county board members an update on the budget…
{AUDIO: “I can report to you that probably the biggest difference between this year’s budget and last year’s budget from an expenditure point of view — is the Centrica project that you approved a month or two ago to work on the infrastructure of the Cannon Building, the courthouse, (and) the health department. And a large share of that $4-million dollars, roughly, is coming from the ARPA funds. And two-and-a-half million (dollars) is coming from the General Fund.”}
Miller says the overall equalized assessed valuation of the county has increased….
{AUDIO: “We’ve had quite a bit of new construction, and the discovery of old construction which has resulted in certain properties having their valuation increase. Most taxpayers that did not happen to – but there were a few who did have substantial increases. And that, in effect, relieves those whose assessments are steady from some of the tax burden that they’d previously had.”}
Miller also reported that the county has received good news regarding the elevator project at the Joseph G. Cannon Building. An architectural engineer informed the county yesterday that the current elevator can be renovated at an estimated cost of less than $400-thousand dollars. There had been fears the elevator might need to be replaced, which could have cost around a million dollars.
