Trustees Approve 2018 Tax Levy, Project Drop in Tax Rate

Levy increased to capture revenue from increasing property values

At its November meeting, the Parkland College Board of Trustees approved the 2018 property tax levy, heard a quarterly report from the Parkland College Foundation, and swore in its newest police officer.

Trustees approved an increase to the school's property tax levy Wednesday night that will allow the college to capture additional tax revenue generated by an increase in the equalized assessed value (EAV) within the district. Officials assured the board and community that, based on the projections, district homeowners and businesses should still see an overall decrease in the college's tax rate on next year's bill. 

Chief Financial Officer Chris Randles shared that a recent survey of counties' EAV indicates an aggregate EAV increase of 4.52 percent over last year. For homeowners, the projected rate would decrease from $.54 to $.53 per hundred dollars of equalized assessed valuation.

After holding a public hearing on the issue during the meeting, trustees voted unanimously to make the $32 million levy request for 2018, an 11.84 percent increase over its 2017 tax levy extension in order to tax at the maximum operating tax rates with increases to the EAV of up to approximately 14 percent. Tax revenue to the college will be based on the actual extension, which will take place in the spring. 

Board members heard a report from Parkland College Foundation Executive Director Tracy Wahlfeldt that indicated more than $200,000 in scholarships had been awarded for the fall 2018 semester. Wahlfeldt shared that foundation funds have been used to make significant upgrades recently to the Staerkel Planetarium, the Harold and Jean Miner Theatre, and the Tony Noel Agricultural Technology Applications Center. 

Trustees also approved the school's FY2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) audit, including the Schedule for Federal Awards, Internal Control, and Compliance reports. The report presented the college with an unqualified "clean" opinion of its FY 2018 financial statements, the best type to receive from independent review. 

During the meeting, the board swore in Somphon "Sam" Penland as a peace officer for the Parkland College Public Safety Department. Penland, a resident of Champaign, is a 9-1/2-year veteran of the Joliet Police Department. She worked previously as a telecommunicator and security guard at Parkland College.
 
In other business Wednesday, trustees approved the following:

• the Parkland College 2020-2021 academic calendar, which had been approved by the school's faculty-staff senate and college council. Registration and payment deadlines for instructional sessions within each semester will be published in the class schedule and online at the college website,parkland.edu, and the student and employee portal, my.parkland.edu.

• the Board of Trustees' 2019 monthly meeting dates. Trustee meetings will be held at 7 p.m. in Room U325 on the Parkland campus unless otherwise announced; meeting dates will be available on the college's website.

• renewal of the pricing agreement with global cloud software company Desire2Learn. D2L's Brightspace Learning Environment (branded at Parkland College as "Cobra Learning") is the learning management system students and instructors use for online, hybrid, and face-to-face course communication. The current pricing agreement expires June 30, 2019. 

• personnel appointments:

  • David Ford, Certified Flight Instructor, Institute of Aviation

  • Joseph Leinweber, Certified Flight Instructor, Institute of Aviation

  • John L. Maxwell, Groundskeeper, Physical Plant

  • David Farmer, Groundskeeper, Physical Plant

  • Jerow Scheel, Police Officer, Public Safety