Park Board Advances Tax Levy Plan and Sets Public Hearing for November

Mokena Community Park District Board Meeting | October 2025

Article Summary: The Mokena Community Park District Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary property tax levy that captures potential new growth while anticipating a slight decrease in the overall tax rate. A public hearing on the matter has been scheduled for late November.

Tax Levy Key Points:

• Levy Amount: The board proposed a corporate and special purpose property tax levy of $3,384,000 for the 2025 tax year (payable in 2026).

• Total Estimate: Including debt service, the total estimated taxes to be levied are $4,023,060, representing a 4.9% increase over the previous year’s extension.

• Tax Rate: Officials estimate the tax rate will decrease by roughly 0.9% to .2277 due to rising property values.

• Public Hearing: A Truth in Taxation hearing is scheduled for November 25, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.

The Mokena Community Park District Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, took the first steps toward establishing its property tax levy for the coming year.

The board voted 6-0 to approve Resolution #25-6, a Truth in Taxation Law Resolution. This procedural move sets the stage for the district’s financial planning for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. While the district is limited by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), which caps extension growth to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2.9% or 5% (whichever is less), the board is utilizing a strategy known as “balloon levying.”

According to a memo from Superintendent of Finance Karen LaPointe, this process involves asking for more money than the district actually expects to receive. This ensures the district captures all available revenue from new construction and property improvements without losing dollars due to tax caps.

“It is anticipated Mokena Community Park District residents will realize no change or a slightly lower tax rate for the 2025 tax levy year,” the memo stated. The estimated rate for 2025 is .2277, a decrease from the 2024 base extension rate.

The proposed corporate and special purpose levy is $3,384,000. When debt service is included, the total levy request rises to just over $4 million. Because the request represents a 4.9% increase over the previous year’s extension, the district will hold a public hearing to maintain transparency and compliance with state law.

Commissioner Steve Jacobson was absent from the meeting.