Albion village tax rate tops $20 for first time

ALBION – The Albion Village Board adopted a $8,194,333 village budget for 2024-25 on Thursday that raises the tax rate by $1.27 – from $19.13 to $20.40 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The tax levy, what the village will collect in property taxes, increased by 6.6 percent or by $194,340 – from $2,923,473 to $3,117,813.

This is the first time the village tax rate tops $20. Medina a year ago was the first village where the tax rate went over $20. Medina went through reassessments last year and the new assessments added $100 million to Medina’s tax base, allowing that village to drop the tax rate from $21.16 to $13.97 with its new budget for 2024-25.

Albion doesn’t have the new reassessments on the official rolls yet. That will likely happen next year.

For the 2024-25 budget. Albion’s tax base shrunk slightly by less than 0.1 percent or by $74,424 – from $152,867,932 to $152,793,508.

The preliminary numbers for 2025-26 show a growth in the village tax base by about 40 percent or $62 million to $214.8 million. But the Village Board has to wait until next year to have those numbers, which will be finalized after the grievance process if property owners challenge their new assessments.

The village budget for 2024-25 totals $8,194,333 with $4,701,848 in the general fund, $2,068,150 in the water fund, and $1,424,335 in the sewer fund.

UPDATE at 1:10 p.m.: Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said he did not vote for the budget that exceeded the tax cap. He said the village is headed towards consolidation with the Town of Albion “as village taxes exceed the state-mandated cap.”

He said village taxpayers will continue to see more tax increases, and higher fees – including water, sewer and fire protection.