East Central Illinois Region

Decatur council approves $15.78 million levy

todayDecember 20, 2023 25

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DECATUR — The Decatur City Council greenlit its 2023 property tax levy during its regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 18.

The 2023 levy, which is payable next year, will be $15.78 million, an increase of three percent from the previous levy. A property owner within the city of Decatur with a property value of $100,000 in 2023 would pay $48 more to the city in property taxes next year.

Council members wanted to act with restraint and limit the increase in property taxes to a three percent hike. The hike was passed despite estimates that the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) could increase between 10 and 12 percent in 2024. One of the major reasons for the hike was the inflation-associated rising cost of operations.

While the city’s levy is increasing, the overall property tax rate is lower compared to last year, down from $1.619 per $100 of EAV to $1.505 for the same.

The City of Decatur accounts for roughly 15 percent of their overall property tax bill. How the remaining 85 percent of their bill will be allocated may depend on where other taxing bodies set their levy and whether they warrant an increase as well.

Update on lift station development

The City Council is continuing support for development in the northeastern quadrant of Decatur. This was proven at the meeting by approving a professional services agreement with Clark Dietz, Inc. for final design services for a sanitary sewer lift station on Brush College Road.

While the area is booming with development, certain parts of the area currently do not have sewer service. Final design services for the lift station will help with attracting new industrial development in that part of the city.

The placement of the new lift station will be 0.25 miles south of the Brush College/Reas Bridge intersection. This intersection hosts Richland Community College on the northeastern quadrant of the intersection.

Also part of the project will be the extension of sewer mains to Woodford Street and a new gravity sewer to serve the immediate area and be available for further expansion to the east and north.

The projected cost of design services is not to exceed $1,388,660.

New City of Decatur website is in the works

The city’s website will receive a much-needed and long-overdue upgrade in the new year, following the approval of a proposal from CivicPlus. CivicPlus will redesign the city’s website to make it more user-friendly and reorganize information that citizens need the most.

The current website has not received an update since its initial launch in 2016. While being kept up to date as far as content is concerned, it has not experienced a reorganization or refresh in some time.

CivicPlus is the largest municipal website developer in the nation, with their primary goal being to get a user to their desired information in three clicks or fewer.

The launch date for the new site is still to be determined sometime in 2024.

Full agenda and notes

A copy of the full agenda from the December 18, 2023 meeting is below:

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Written by: HLNF Staff Report

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