Published: December 01, 2008 09:42 am      

Board approves tax levies

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — As the new fiscal year begins for Jefferson County today, the board has approved tax levies for the 2008-09 fiscal year last week at its regular meeting.

Two members of the county board voted against not only the budget, but the levies as well: Dexter Edmison, in his last official meeting on the county board, and Jim Laird.

Levies were approved at a total of $2.4 million. The general corporate levy was approved at $228,400, compared to $217,744.41 last year.

Seven levies make requests to the county board — the county highway, county bridge, 708 Mental Health, Tuberculosis, Federal Matching Aid, Jefferson County Health Department and University of Illinois Extension Service. This year, of the requests, one received the same amount it requested and one received more than it requested. Others received less than requested.

The Tuberculosis fund requested, and was granted $56,000 — up from the $55,556.36 levied last year.

The Extension Service requested a levy of $73,807.80, up from the $71,697.73 which was received in the last fiscal year. The Extension was granted a levy of $74,800 — $993 more than it requested and $3,102.27 more than last year’s levy.

The county highway levy was approved at $268,500, down from the $281,000 requested and up from the 2007-2008 levy amount of $256,009.70; county bridge levy was approved at $124,000, compared to the request of $127,000 and the $118,244.95 levied last year; the 708 Mental Health Board was levied at $100,800, compared to the request for $104,800 and the $96,097.48 levied last year; the federal matching aid levy was approved at $124,000, down from the $127,000 requested, and up from last year’s levy of $118,244.95; the heath department levy was approved at $118,100, down from the requested amount of $130,000 and up from the $112,614.24 received last year.

County liability was levied at $243,200, up from last year’s levy of $231,609.95; FICA was levied at $306,300, compared $292,046.26 last year; worker’s compensation was levied at $160,000 compared to $152,779.99 last year; and Medicare was levied at $74,400 compared to $70,946.97 levied last year; and the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund was levied at $612,100, compared to $582,591 in 2007-2008.

The minimum increase allowed was 4.1 percent and the increase proposed was 4.86 percent.