110 Larkin, LLC. v. Weber

2023 IL App (3d) 210606, 221 N.E.3d 1061, 468 Ill. Dec. 839
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 23, 2023
Docket3-21-0606
StatusPublished

This text of 2023 IL App (3d) 210606 (110 Larkin, LLC. v. Weber) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
110 Larkin, LLC. v. Weber, 2023 IL App (3d) 210606, 221 N.E.3d 1061, 468 Ill. Dec. 839 (Ill. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

2023 IL App (3d) 210606

Opinion filed February 23, 2023 ____________________________________________________________________________

IN THE

APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

THIRD DISTRICT

110 LARKIN, LLC, ∗ et al. ) Appeal from the Circuit Court ) of the 12th Judicial Circuit, Plaintiffs-Appellees, ) Will County, Illinois, ) v. ) ) STEVE WEBER, Will County ) Appeal No. 3-21-0606 Treasurer and ex-officio Will ) Circuit No. 18-TX-251 County Collector, ) ) Defendant-Appellee ) ) Honorable (Woodridge Park District, Intervenor- ) John C. Anderson, Appellant). ) Judge, Presiding. ____________________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE PETERSON delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Brennan and Albrecht concurred in the judgment and opinion. ____________________________________________________________________________

OPINION

¶1 In a tax rate objection complaint, plaintiffs alleged that the 2017 levy imposed by the

intervenor, Woodridge Park District (WPD), was unlawful because, at the time of the 2017 levy,

WPD had an illegal excess accumulation in its corporate fund. Plaintiffs and WPD filed cross-

motions for summary judgment. The circuit court denied WPD’s motion for summary judgment

∗ See Appendix A for a list of all plaintiffs. and granted plaintiffs’ motion, finding an excess accumulation of funds in WPD’s corporate fund,

which was a sub-fund of WPD’s general fund, so that the 2017 levy at issue was unlawful. WPD

appealed, arguing that there was no excess accumulation of funds to support the court’s finding

that the 2017 levy was unlawful. We reverse.

¶2 I. BACKGROUND

¶3 In Illinois, park districts have the power to levy and collect taxes on taxable property in

their districts for “corporate purposes,” pursuant to sections 5-1 and 5-3 of the Park District Code

(70 ILCS 1205/5-1, 5-3 (West 2016)). On December 12, 2017, WPD adopted a levy ordinance in

accordance with sections 5-1 and 5-3 of the Park District Code for its general fund.

¶4 On November 16, 2018, plaintiffs filed a tax rate objection complaint. The tax districts in

Will County whose 2017 levies were objected to included WPD. In the complaint, plaintiffs

alleged that it was a taxpayer who owned, had an interest in, or had the obligation of paying real

estate taxes on parcels of real property in Will County. Plaintiffs sought a refund, plus interest, for

payment of the 2017 real estate taxes at issue “by reason of excessive and illegal assessments,

levies and taxes extended against such parcels.”

¶5 Specifically, plaintiffs alleged WPD levied for “corporate purposes” $3,910,740 for 2017.

Plaintiffs contended the annual audit report for WPD showed a balance in WPD’s corporate fund

at the conclusion of the 2017 fiscal year of $1,685,964, with an additional $3,558,158 for 2016

taxes that had not yet been received, for total available funds of $5,966,101. (Plaintiffs

subsequently modified this figure to contend that WPD had $3,780,072 in 2016 taxes, so that the

total funds available in WPD’s corporate fund was $6,188,012.) Plaintiffs contended that WPD’s

average expenditures for “corporate purposes” for the three preceding fiscal years (2015, 2016,

and 2017) was $1,816,106, making the assets within WPD’s corporate fund 3.5 times the average

2 annual expenditure of those funds. For that reason, plaintiffs claimed there was an excess

accumulation of funds available and, therefore, the 2017 levy was invalid.

¶6 A. WPD’s Motion for Summary Judgment

¶7 WPD filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing its attached audit documents

demonstrated that there was not an excess accumulation of funds in its general fund at the time of

the 2017 tax levy. WPD argued that plaintiffs used incorrect figures to support its tax objection

complaint. Specifically, WPD contended that plaintiffs were using information related only to

WPD’s corporate sub-fund, whereas the fund balances and expenditures related to its general fund

supported the 2017 levy. WPD’s general fund consisted of three sub-funds: (1) corporate,

(2) capital replacement, and (3) capital development. WPD argued that plaintiffs miscalculated the

ratio of funds available to the average annual expenditure of funds by “mixing and matching

figures from the General Fund and the ‘corporate’ sub-fund.”

¶8 WPD further indicated it maintained its general fund, under which it maintained sub-funds

for administrative purposes “to allocate revenues and expenses separate and distinct between its

corporate purposes, building repairs and building improvements in accordance with 70 ILCS

1205/5-1.” Each of the sub-funds was funded by the single levy at issue. Attaching supporting

documentation to its motion, WPD contended it had submitted a levy of $3,910,740 for its general

fund ($2,190,00 for administrative, maintenance, and planning expenses; $602,217 for capital

replacement expenses; and $1,118,523 for capital development expenses). WPD argued that under

section 5-1 of the Park District Code, it was “well within its rights to levy for corporate purposes,

building repairs and building improvements.” WPD contended that when its general fund was

viewed as a whole, there was no excess accumulation of funds and, therefore, the 2017 levy at

issue was lawful.

3 ¶9 B. Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment

¶ 10 Plaintiffs also filed a motion for summary judgment. Plaintiffs contended its objection was

not in relation to WPD’s general fund but, rather, was against WPD’s corporate sub-fund of its

general fund. Plaintiffs argued that at the time of WPD’s 2017 levy, WPD had in its corporate sub-

fund, 3.4 times the average annual expenses of the prior three years. Plaintiffs argued that because

it made a prima facie case of an excess accumulation of funds, WPD was required to, but had

failed to, produce evidence of a need for the accumulation of funds in the corporate sub-fund.

¶ 11 In response, WPD contended that plaintiffs’ arguments in relation to WPD’s corporate sub-

fund artificially constructed an excess accumulation claim. WPD argued that plaintiffs’ tax rate

objection was against the 2017 levy and the funds in relation to that levy were in WPD’s general

fund, not solely within the corporate sub-fund. WPD attached to its response the affidavit of Mike

Adams, the executive director of WPD. Adams averred that WPD maintained the following funds:

“General, Recreation, Debt Service, Social Security and IMRF, Public Liability Insurance, Audit,

Special Recreation, Jubilee, Restricted Contributions and Working Cash.” Adams further averred

that within WPD’s “General Fund,” WPD maintained three sub-funds: corporate, capital

replacement and capital development. The Will County and Du Page County clerks extended the

levy at issue under a title of the corporate fund; the funds received from the levy at issue were

deposited into WPD’s general fund and then allocated among its three sub-funds; and the total

amount received as the result of the 2017 levy in relation to the General Fund from Will and

Du Page Counties was $3,935,331 and was allocated among the three sub-funds within its general

fund—$2,696,198 to its corporate sub-fund, $600,039 to its capital replacement sub-fund, and

$639,094 to its capital development sub-fund.

4 ¶ 12 C. Plaintiffs’ Response to WPD’s Motion/Reply in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Adams v. Northern Illinois Gas Co.
809 N.E.2d 1248 (Illinois Supreme Court, 2004)
In Re Application of O'Connor
399 N.E.2d 683 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
State Farm Insurance v. American Service Insurance
773 N.E.2d 666 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2002)
In Re Application of Rosewell
639 N.E.2d 559 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1994)
People Ex Rel. Leaf v. Roth
59 N.E.2d 643 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1945)
Central Illinois Public Service Co. v. Miller
248 N.E.2d 89 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1969)
Anderson v. A.S. Industrial Properties
279 Ill. App. 3d 593 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1996)
Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni v. People ex rel. Boylan
750 N.E.2d 282 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2001)
Litzelman v. Town of Fox
1 N.E.2d 915 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2023 IL App (3d) 210606, 221 N.E.3d 1061, 468 Ill. Dec. 839, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/110-larkin-llc-v-weber-illappct-2023.