Heartland Community College [HCC] is set to hold a public hearing next month on its proposed tax levy for 2024.
Trustees will vote Tuesday on whether to set Dec. 17 as the date for a state-required "Truth in Taxation" hearing before the college adopts a $37.6 million tax levy.
That figure is based on an expected 10.49% increase in property values across Heartland's district, which includes McLean, DeWitt, Ford, Livingston, Logan and Tazewell counties, and is an 8% increase over the 2023 tax levy, according to HCC meeting documentation.
HCC's tax rate would change slightly as well, up to $0.583 from $0.582. HCC notes that a property owner of a $200,000 home would see the college's portion of their tax bill rise by about $1.55 — up to $389.29 from $387.74.
The move comes as public taxing bodies across the state are determining how much money they need to operate in the next fiscal year; that amount of money is part of a formula that uses total land values to determine property tax rates.
Science lab renovations
Also on Tuesday, trustees will vote on a spending plan for the second phase of ongoing work to renovate HCC's science labs.
The latter phase of the project is expected to cost no more than $4.5 million; the funding will go toward lab equipment updates, audio/visual equipment, updating aging furniture and other renovation expenses.
Work on the lab renovations is expected to get underway this summer.
