Will County Tax Bill Will Go Down in New Budget Plan

Will County homeowners could see a small decline in the taxes they pay to the county as part of a $170.4 million balanced budget the county board approved Friday.

According to the county, The owner of an average-priced property will pay about $15 less for Will County's portion of the tax bill.

The value of the average property in the county dropped nearly 7 percent this year and about 5 percent last year.

In dollar amounts, this means a $1-billion drop in the value of Will County homes, down to $22 billion.

"Will County continues to tighten its belt in order to weather the economic downturn, and this budget is a reflection of that," Chairman Jim Moustis said in a county press release. "As has been the case for several years now, this budget was tough and cuts were necessary."

The county's share is about 7 percent of the overall tax bill, according to the Will County Treasurer's Office. It makes up a different percentage of individual tax bills depending on the other taxing bodies (school districts, villages, park districts, etc.) in which a homeowner lives and how much those districts charge.

The budget is for the fiscal year starting Dec. 1.

"This is a balanced budget because there was a good deal of compromise along the way," said board member Steve Wilhelmi (D-Joliet).