Trustees Hold the Line on Village Tax Rate

The village of Oswego will ask taxpayers for less money in its 2011 tax levy.

The levy will mean an approximate savings to average homeowners of about $7 in their property tax bill next year. The voted 4-2 to keep the tax rate (.1468 per $100 of assessed value) the same as last year, but because of an average 6.17 percent decrease in assessed values, the village will make do with about $78,000 less in revenue.

Trustees Gail Johnson and Judy Sollinger voted no with Johnson lobbying to at least increase the rate enough to capture the same amount of funding as last year.

“I think it’s irresponsible for us this year to lower the dollars that we get,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that’s a wise decision.”

Village President Brian LeClercq said last year’s sales tax increase in the village was meant to move the tax burden off residents and onto those that shop in Oswego.

“I remember that tough vote, and I thought that would mitigate a lot of this conversation, but here we are,” he said.

Johnson has said in recent weeks that the village operating with less revenue could lead to a reduction in services.

Trustee Scott Volpe argued that the reduction in revenue will be negligible to the village. 

“If the village can’t swallow that and find a way to improve our efficiencies a little bit ... if the sky is falling and Chicken Little is out there saying $78,000 is going to break the village of Oswego, we have much bigger problems than the fact that we’re debating what to do with the tax levy," he said.

Volpe also pointed to an approximate $500,000 increase over last year in revenues coming into the village from sources like the sales and income tax.

Trustee Jeff Lawson agreed, saying the village can’t control what other taxing bodies do, but if trustees can put money back into the pockets of residents, that’s more money that can be spent locally.