Unusual County Approach On Clarendon Hills Tax District
HILLS, IL – DuPage County has voted for every special tax district that has come before it over the last couple of decades.
Clarendon Hills is the exception.
Last month, the county’s representative, Paul Hoss, abstained from the vote as part of a committee of local taxing bodies. As the county’s representative, Hoss estimates he has voted on 80 tax increment financing districts, or TIFs, over the last 20 years – all but Clarendon Hills receiving favorable votes.
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“We recognize that TIFs are an acceptable, reasonable and good means for communities to tackle blighted areas,” Hoss said in an interview. “We are historically in favor of TIFs.”
The tax increment financing district, or TIF, would be designed to spur development in the area along 55th Street, village officials say.
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Under state law, a special district’s property taxes generated from growth in its tax base are diverted from other taxing bodies for 23 years for the district’s benefit.
Last month, the local committee, known officially as the Joint Review Board, voted 4-3 against the TIF. The school districts, which have been publicly against the tax district, were joined by Downers Grove Township in opposition. Voting in favor were the village itself, the local park district and a resident on the committee.
In the interview, Hoss said the county abstained from the vote to give Clarendon Hills the benefit of the doubt and let it go back to the drawing board. He said the village and its consultant have not “fully formulated” the factors that justify a tax district.
The village’s data, Hoss said, is at least 3 years old.
“There is development occurring in the TIF district in spite of the fact that the consultant said there isn’t,” Hoss said. “There are homes well over $1 million.”
Led by Hinsdale High School District 86, area schools have made similar arguments.
The village says the area in question needs improvements. In an email Monday, Village Manager Zach Creer said Hoss did not attend the first meeting of the committee, which is when the consultant reviewed the factors in depth.
The report on the tax district was updated with 2023 data, which showed a lagging tax base for four out of five years, Creer said.
He conceded the larger homes in the proposed tax district have caused concern. That area is a low point of the water system, with a 9-year-old engineering report saying it is a site for a potential storage tank, he said.
“Staff is considering whether to exclude that area based on feedback, as long as the objectives can be completed without it,” Creer said.
Given that a majority of taxing bodies rejected the tax district, it would need the support of a three-fifths majority of the Village Board.
According to consultant Ryan LLC’s report, the neighborhood along 55th Street lacks a clear uniform character, sidewalks and suitable infrastructure. It also has issues with standing water and water quality and has underutilized poorly maintained public spaces, the report said.
After last month’s vote, Creer questioned the township’s opposition and the county’s abstention. Those two entities, he said, “should step up and better maintain their infrastructure and make up for sins of the past regarding very odd development patterns south of 55th St.”
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“I think it’s shameful to have multifamily housing with no sprinklers and inadequate water pressure to the point hydrants are turned backwards and all the water needs to be trucked in,” Creer said. “This was all permitted by DuPage County.”
While local school districts have made their views known, Downers Grove Township has not. The township’s supervisor, Paul Coultrap, has not returned repeated messages for comment.
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