Today we publish statistics prepared by a Friend of McHenry County Blog comparing the real estate tax take of school districts located in whole or partially in McHenry County.

For overlapping tax districts, such as Algonquin 300, Huntley 158, Barrington 220, Wauconda 118 and Belvidere 100, much, if not most of the assessed value is located out of McHenry County. There is an equalization process that attempts to allocate the proper share to each side of the county line. It, however, is imperfect. (I sponsored the bill in 1973.)

Elementary school districts are on top of the spreadsheet, running from Nippersink (Richmond & Spring Grove) through Marengo.

Next come high school districts.

On the bottom are unit school districts.

Looking at the increases in assessed valuation, one can see it was a healthy year overall.

Leading the pack was the tiny Harrison School District on the east side of Wonder Lake in the McHenry High School District.

Districts lowering their tax take are

• McHenry Grade School -7.99%
• Richmond-Burton High School -5.86%
• Fox River Grove Grade School- 4.32%
• McHenry High School -3.24%

The Property Tax Cap law (PTELL) allowed a 2.3% increase on existing property. School boards which asked for less than that would have allowed real estate owners to have a lower tax bill, assuming that the property’s assessed valuation remained the same.

On average, schools tax levies increased 1.08%.

Those taxpayers who won are in districts with lower than a 2.3% increase. They follow:

• Algonquin Unit +0.92
• Prairie Grove Grade School +1.9%
• Marengo Grade School +2%
• Harrison (Wonder Lake) Grade School +2.06%
• Alden-Hebron Unit +2.19%
• Crystal Lake Grade School +2.19%
• Crystal Lake High School +2.26%
• Johnsburg Unit +2.28%

Districts in which existing taxpayers with constant assessed valuations would have seen school tax hikes follow:

• Cary Grade School +2.39%
• Harvard Unit +2.42%
• Barrington Unit +2.57%
• Riley Grade +2.82%
• Nippersink (Spring Grove, Richmond) Grade +2.9%
• Huntley Unit +3.12%
• Marengo High School +3.86%
• Woodstock Unit +5.07%
• Belvidere Unit +5.78%
• Wauconda Unit +9.23%

Both Belvidere and Wauconda Unit Districts have most of their assessed valuation in adjacent counties, hence, subject to my 1973 imperfect overlapping tax district law.