Hinsdale Area Schools Join Forces To Deal With Clarendon Hills

DARIEN, IL – Three Hinsdale area school districts are working together to deal with a Clarendon Hills proposal that would divert property tax dollars from them.

This is according to Catherine Greenspon, president of the Hinsdale High School District 86 board.

The other districts, she said, are Hinsdale School District 181 and Westmont-based Maercker School District 60.

At Thursday's District 86 board meeting, Greenspon said officials and lawyers from the districts plan to meet the next morning at Village Hall with Clarendon Hills officials.

"Our three districts will be the most affected," she said.

Schools make up a big majority of property tax bills.

Under its proposal, Clarendon Hills would set up a tax increment district, or TIF, generally along 55th Street. It's an area that the village says it wants to revive.

If a majority of taxing bodies vote against the proposal, that would require a three-fifths super-majority of the Village Board to make the district a reality.

After a TIF district is established, the money generated from the growth in the property tax base would go to the district itself. Under state law, that money can be invested in projects in the district that spur development, benefitting the local economy in the long run.

Under state law, schools and other taxing bodies would not receive any of the growth in tax money over 23 years. The argument is that a TIF would stimulate enough development that other bodies would benefit in the long run.

Last month, the District 86 board voted against Clarendon Hills' proposal as is. Both the board and Clarendon Hills have indicated openness to some type of tax-sharing deal. This is done in other places, including Elmhurst.

Last week, Patch wrote a story about Clarendon Hills' case for a special tax district.