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Property Tax Information

The City is one of ten taxing bodies itemized on your bill. The City’s portion of your entire property tax bill is about 10 percent.

Breakdown of Taxing Bodies on Property Tax Bill

Any St. Charles resident can view their property tax bill and the breakdown of how much goes to which taxing body. Visit www.kanecountytreasurer.org and click on “Print a Property Tax Bill.” There you can input your name and address, (or parcel number, if you know it) to access an itemized tax bill to review. Taxes related to the City are labeled “St. Charles City.”

What the City's Portion of Property Taxes Pays For

This year, a resident in a $300K home paid $790 to the City. (About 10% of the total property tax bill.) That helps pay for a full year of City Services.

Electric, Water, and Wastewater Services are not paid with property taxes. Those are paid for with usage fees.

Breakdown of what Taxes Pay for in St. Charles

The City's General Fund: Beyond Property Taxes 

Property taxes are only one part of the City's income. Visitors and commuting workers contribute through sales and hotel taxes. Grants and other non-tax revenue also are funding opportunities.

Breakdown of General Fund Revenues

What is the City doing to Manage Property Tax Levels?

The City uses multiple tactics to reduce its reliance on property taxes and keep its share of the property tax bill manageable.

  • Abate Taxes: Historically, the City has abated tax levies related to the debt issued to pay for large capital projects. When bonds are issued to pay for projects, the City does not collect property taxes to pay those back. Instead, the City utilizes sales, liquor, hotel/motel taxes, and other general revenues to pay the debt.
  • Utilize Grants: The City always works to manage its resources as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. One way we do that is by taking advantage of grants that are available to us for certain projects. 
  • Maintain a Balanced Tax Base: Careful planning for community and economic development means St. Charles enjoys a healthy mix of nearly 2000 retail, commercial and industrial businesses. This diversification provides economic stability and means businesses, visitors and area consumers share in the cost associated with keeping St. Charles running successfully.

More at www.stcharlesil.gov/departments/finance. 

Setting Property Taxes

The process begins in December, when the City approves its tax levy ordinances. A tax levy is the total amount of money the City needs to raise through property taxes. The City's Accounting Division works closely with the county to obtain the most accurate estimates possible for the levy, which will ensure the least amount of fluctuation of actual tax distribution later on. The City's levy ordinances set a percentage, which is the percentage of taxes detailed on property tax bills that is actually collected and distributed back to the City for municipal services. The City does not determine the dollar amount of taxes collected, but rather the percentage. Contact the Finance Department for copies of the tax levy ordinances or any questions about taxes at (630) 377-4914 or finance@stcharlesil.gov. The process continues in January with an assessment. The St. Charles Township Tax Assessor's Office determines the market value for property, and then assesses the property for 1/3 of that market value. The assessed value is then used to apportion the tax burden over all property owners. Additional information on property within St. Charles Township and assessments may be found on the St. Charles Township Tax Assessor's web site at www.stcharlestownship.org.

Collecting Property Taxes

Taxes are collected by the Kane County Tax Extension Office, a division of the Kane County Treasurer. The tax levy ordinances approved by the City are filed with Kane County. The Tax Extension Office then uses the assessments from the St. Charles Township Assessor and the levies from the various taxing bodies to issue the property tax bills, collect the taxes, and distribute the appropriate funds back to the City and other taxing bodies. Additional information on property tax bills can be found on the Kane County Treasurer's web site at http://www.co.kane.il.us/treasurer/.

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updated Jul 25, 2023