DeKalb city leaders adopt 2026 tax levy of $8.9M

DeKalb city leaders recently voted to approve its 2026 aggregate property tax levy in the amount of $8.9 million. It was presented by City Manager Bill Nicklas to the City Council for consideration after previously reviewing the matter at a pair of budget workshops in the fall. Typically, the city takes the full amount of what’s levied by the city in taxes for its police and fire pension obligations.That is not the case this time around. “You can see that that’s not enough to pay for the full obligation this year,” Nicklas said. Nicklas explained that the city is employing a budget transfer-in of about $2.2 million from the city’s general fund reserve to make up the difference in what’s owed. What was approved by the council represents no increase in the 2026 tax levy. A homeowner whose property has a base equalized assessed valuation of $157,229 in 2026 and is taxed at a rate of 0.58 would pay $957.56 in property taxes. Taxpayers, however, may note that the City of DeKalb is one of se