GODFREY - In June of 2006, the Village of Godfrey established a Special Service Area (SSA) and an accompanying tax for sewer line installation in the Piasa Hills neighborhood.
By establishing the SSA, the Village was permitted to levy taxes against the properties within the SSA boundaries up to the maximum of 2.7385% of the property’s assessed valuation for up to twenty (20) years. $78,340.00 has been levied each year since the SSA’s inception including $78,340.00 that was levied just this past December for the 2020 tax year. This tax adds an average of $500.00 per year to the property tax bill of owners within the SSA.
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In October 2019, the Village sold its entire sewer system, including the Piasa Hills portion installed per the SSA, to the Illinois-American Water Company for over $13 million dollars. Illinois-American also assumed all responsibility for maintenance as a part of the sales agreement. With the sale proceeds, the Village was required to retire any outstanding debt obligations associated with any part of the sewer system, including the loan utilized for the sewer line installation within the Piasa Hills SSA. Due to this sale and retirement of the Village’s obligations, these taxes are no longer necessary and are an unfair burden to those properties they are levied against.
“There is absolutely no purpose for the Village to continue to levy this unfair tax upon the property owners in Piasa Hills!” stated Mark Stewart, Godfrey Trustee, and candidate for Mayor. “The 2020 tax levied for the service area needs to be abated and the SSA needs to be abolished immediately!”
“Basic property taxes are enough of a burden for the property owners in the Village but to continue to pile on an unfair, unnecessary tax on top of them is unconscionable!”
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