During a special meeting of the Utica Village Board this month, trustee and Finance Committee liason Matt Jereb said he would not endorse a tax levy increase at the Wednesday, Dec. 9, board meeting. If the board approves Jereb's recommendation, the levied amount would be about $56,727 or 14.545 cents per $100 equalized assessed valuation.

Utica is a home rule village, which means officials can levy any amount. The Village Board has the power to tax and regulate anything related to government and local affairs, from cigarette or motor vehicle taxes to mandatory fire and police retirement age, school and park land dedications and zoning landfill sites. The village does not operate on a budget. Instead it work with an appropriation ordinance.

In fiscal 2008, the tax rate in Utica was about 14.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. The village requested $56,000 but actually received $56,620 based on the village's EAV. In fiscal 2009, the village approved a levy of $56,700. And like the last two years, Utica's valuation has increased, so the actual tax rate is expected to go down.

Jereb said Utica's accountant estimated the village's net assessed evaluation for fiscal 2010 will be about $39 million, an increase of about $1.6 million over the current year. When the taxable value of property in a village increases, the tax rate falls so long as the village budget remains stable.

"In 2009, Utica had the third-lowest tax rate in La Salle County," Village Attorney Herb Klein said, "behind Naplate and Millington. If the proposed tax levy is approved in December, our tax rate will be slightly lower next year. And the fact is you provide a lot of services. That is something you can all be proud of."

The next regular board meeting will be at Village Hall at 7 p.m. Dec. 9.