Here’s how much tax money St. Clair County wants to collect from property owners in 2024

St. Clair County wants to collect more property tax money in 2024 than it did last year.

What will this mean for your bill? And what will your money pay for?

Here’s what to know about your 2024 property taxes:

The St. Clair County Board finalized this year’s tax levy at its last meeting on April 29. The levy is usually set high in the fall and then lowered the following spring after property assessments are finalized with state input.

The county is asking taxpayers for $48.9 million to support its 2024 budget. The money will be used in the general fund for the county’s daily operations and county employee pay, as well as funds for county-owned buildings, highways and bridges and funds for mental health and veterans services, among others.

The amount it is seeking from taxpayers is up from $47.1 million in 2023.

Republican board member Ed Cockrell of District 20 spoke out against the increase during the meeting.

Cockrell criticized the County Board for approving pay raises for elected officials and for how it decided to spend federal COVID-related relief funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

“We had millions of dollars at our disposal in ARPA funds. We chose to do other things instead of giving the taxpayers relief,” Cockrell said. “So here we’re going to raise the tax levy again 3.74%. We just voted (for) a pay raise for everybody so I guess we gotta raise taxes to do that as well.

“I would not be in favor of this and I would urge my colleagues to vote no.”

In response to the criticism about COVID relief dollars, County Board Chairman Mark Kern said that money had to be used for certain purposes.

“You can’t use them for everyday expenses,” Kern said. “They have to be used for what’s prescribed in the legislation.”

The chairman also noted that the county’s tax rate is expected to decrease from 1.0800 to 1.0230. The tax rate determines how much each property owner will pay. It means that if your home’s value didn’t change in your latest property assessment, you’ll pay the county less than you did in 2023.

But generally tax rates decrease when overall property values increase, which is the case in St. Clair County for this tax cycle.

Each unit of government in your community will have its own tax rate.

School districts will be the highest cost on your bill. St. Clair County’s cost is lower because it’s spread out among property owners countywide.

Four Republican members of the County Board voted no on the proposed levy: Phil Henning of District 19; Ed Cockrell of District 20; Andy Bittle of District 21; and Kevin Dawson of District 24.

Four Republicans voted yes: Michael O’Donnell of District 18; Robert Wilhelm of District 26; Matt Smallheer of District 27; and John Coers of District 28.

All 16 Democrats at the meeting voted yes: Robert Allen Jr. of District 1; G.W. Scott Jr. of District 2; Harry Hollingsworth of District 4; Lonnie Mosley of District 5; Marty Crawford of District 6; Courtney Moore of District 7; Steve Gomric of District 8; Scott Greenwald of District 10; Ken Sharkey of District 11; C. Richard Vernier of District 12; Bob Trentman of District 14; CJ Baricevic of District 16; Scott Tieman of District 17; Sue Gruberman of District 22; Jana Armstong Moll of District 23; and Richie Meile of District 25.

Three Democrats and one Republican were absent from the meeting: Roy Mosley Jr. of District 3; Ken Easterley of District 9; Stephen Reeb of District 13; and Jerry Dinges of District 15.