CLC board approves tax hike; ‘The property taxes (fund) … efforts to be a leader in providing innovative education’

A College of Lake County student works on her welding skills at the school’s Advanced Technology Center, which helps prepare people for manufacturing careers. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun)
Property owners in Lake County will likely see an increased portion of their real estate tax bill going to the College of Lake County next year, though it will be less than the current rate of inflation.
The College of Lake County Board of Trustees voted 6-0, with one abstention, to raise the property tax levy approximately $3.9 million Tuesday at the school’s Grayslake campus to help fund the budget for the current fiscal year ending June 30.
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Representing a 4.87% increase, the 2023 levy is estimated at just over $85 million, according to college documents. It is applicable to property taxes payable next year. Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega will then calculate the actual amount of taxes.
Kevin Appleton, the college’s CFO and vice president for businesses services and finance, said in an email Wednesday the owner of a $300,000 home in Grayslake will pay approximately $295 for the school’s share, an $11 increase from a year ago.
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Appleton said real estate taxes represent 64% of the college’s estimated revenue of $123.8 million. The increase is less than the current rate of inflation, and just shy of the maximum amount allowed under Illinois law.
“This year, the property taxes (fund) CLC’s operations and efforts to be a leader in providing innovative education and workforce solutions to support the economic vitality of Lake County,” Appleton said.
Workforce pipeline challenge
Just before voting on the levy, the trustees unanimously approved an agreement with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers to become one of 25 schools in the nation to be part of the organization’s Manufacturing Imperative Workforce Pipeline Challenge.
College President Lori Suddick said the agreement with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers adds a national component to existing collaboration with manufacturers in the county, and statewide efforts with other schools to contribute to the workforce pipeline.
“This is an opportunity for the college to now place ourselves at the national level connected to some very innovative colleges,” she said at the meeting. “This is about building out a skilled talent pipeline for high-demand careers.”
With the $75,000 cost paid with donor funds, Suddick said in an email Wednesday the school is committed to place 75,000 or more people into living-wage manufacturing jobs in the next three years. Its impact on the national economy is estimated at $6 billion.
Suddick said Lake County is the second-largest manufacturing county in the state. It generates more than $35 billion of economic output annually. The new initiative will enable the school to become an even stronger partner locally.
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“This effort aligns with CLC’s commitment to ensuring economic vitality of Lake County through the continued growth in apprenticeships, and the number of graduates with skilled manufacturing credentials,” she said.
As a partner in the challenge, the college is committed to help design and launch the national coalition to create policies, programs and solutions to “attract, educate and graduate” approximately 1,000 new students a year for three years, according to school documents.