St. Clair County Board approves property tax abatement

The St. Clair County Board on Monday approved a property tax abatement, which is expected to lead to a slight drop in tax bills.

County officials approved abating $29.8 million of the $61.8 million it had requested during the levy process last year.

“We continue to recognize the benefit offering an abatement to our residents yields and we are once again abating at a level that would once again benefit residents and not at all increasing our taxes,” County Administrator Debra Moore said during a recent Finance Committee meeting.

Moore said abatements have been done by the county for more than 30 years.

County officials have said they expect the county’s general fund tax rate to be slightly lower from last year.

The total rate for all funds is expected to slightly drop to .9380 from .9388 per $100 of equalized assessed property value, which would mean a slight drop in the amount of property owners’ tax bills goes to the county.

“You don’t know the amount you’re going to need until this time of year. You levy the maximum and then you abate the maximum,” said St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern. “For the past many years we’ve lowered the general fund tax rate in St. Clair County in that process.”

Levying the maximum also protects the county if it needs to bring in additional dollars.

“With all the state’s shortfalls and the lack of state funding that’s coming through, the fact the state is going to potentially shift its liabilities onto us it really is important that we continue to maintain an ability to cover short falls should the state come in and decide and not going to fund us as they have in the past.”

In other action

▪  The board approved renewing its liability insurance through Lockton Companies for MidAmerica Airport, and its employees.

The total renewal cost is is $464,922. Last year, the insurance cost $467,083, according to county documents.

▪  County Board members voted to allow the construction on a Dollar General at 1101 Centreville Ave. near Belleville. The planned $1.1 million to $1.2 million project is expected to begin in mid-April.

The project is expected to take 90 days to complete, STL Equities Managing Partner Bob Elkan has said. The store would employ eight to 10 people.

▪  County Board members approved an agreement with St. Clair Township that calls for the county to conduct all of the assessments in the township.

Jim Wilson, who was elected as township assessor, later was elected to the County Board of Review, and had to resign from the township, said Township Supervisor Dave Barnes.

Wilson’s main role was assessing the value of mobile homes, Barnes said.

After Wilson left his township role, the township either needed to contract out the duties or find a new assessor.

Barnes said the county already is handling assessments for the township, and this agreement puts everything in writing. The term of the agreement is year-to-year and the township agreed to pay the county $1 year to handle the assessments.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 9:49 AM with the headline "St. Clair County Board approves property tax abatement."