The following guest post is an expanded version of a letter written by Director of Finance Val Mertesdorf published in the Northfield News. Interested in calculating your individual property tax increase for the District’s 2017 Operating Levy and Bond Referendum Election? Check out the interactive tax impact calculator.

In any government entity, the actual act of raising property taxes is difficult for those charged with the decision and those who foot the bill. In my time with the school district, one thing has become abundantly clear – property tax calculations are complicated.

While I won’t pretend that property taxes are going down, I would respectfully request that community members dig a little deeper to know exactly what the increases truly mean for you as an individual taxpayer.

Things to consider:

  1. Your estimated market value is NOT the same as what you think you could sell your home for. Make sure you double check your property tax statement.

  2. The percentage increase in a local levy does not equate to your increase in property taxes.

  3. The school district’s proposed 11.34% levy increase is estimated to be a 6% increase for a $200,000 residential homestead or $75 annually. Note: This preliminary levy includes the existing voter-approved operating levy.

  4. The City of Dundas is proposing a 20% levy increase, but the estimated tax impact is a 15% decrease. A residential homestead valued at $250,000 could see a reduction of $200 annually.

  5. The City of Northfield is proposing an 8.5% increase, the estimated tax impact for a $200,000 residential homestead is a 2.69% increase or $28.68 annually. This increase is projected to still be less than residents were paying in 2016.

I share this information because last week I received a call from a concerned citizen who believed their property taxes were going to increase by $700 a year based on recent articles regarding the city, county, and school district levy proposals. They told me their estimated market value was $180,000 and to be conservative they were looking at the tax impact for a $200,000 property. After some research, I found that their estimated market value was $130,000. The increase was significantly less than this citizen originally thought.

We do not take the decision to propose property tax increases lightly. I invite you to take the time and make an informed decision based on actual data. Please be in touch if you have questions, we are here to help!

Interested in calculating your individual property tax increase for the District’s 2017 Operating Levy and Bond Referendum Election? Check out the interactive tax impact calculator.