Due to competition for education dollars, House Bill 1519, which would provide cities of large universities with $100 per full-time student, has been put on hold.

The bill, introduced by State Rep. John Countryman, R-DeKalb, would provide impaction funding to taxing districts located within residential campus communities in the state.

Under the proposal, the state would grant the money to the county collector, who would disperse the money in the ratio of a qualified taxing district’s real property tax levy for the immediate preceeding calendar year. The ratio would relate to the total tax levy for all qualifying tax districts in which the university is located.

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow said out of eight taxing bodies, those with a higher property taxing percentage will recieve a higher percentage of funds.

Sparrow said DeKalb has a low property tax compared to the school district, which primarily consists of elementary and secondary education institutions. This results in the school district receiving 60 percent of the $100 and the city recieving 8 to 10 percent.

The school district would receive $45 to $50 to every $1,000, while the city would get an uncomparable $6.30, Sparrow said.

“Which of the eight (taxable bodies) is most impacted from the university (NIU)?” Sparrow said. “The city would receive a projected $200,000 out of $2.5 million, while the school system would get $1.5 million.”

Sparrow said the school system deserves that much money, but not by any “backdoor methods” such as HB 1519. He said $200,000 is not nearly enough to take care of city-related problems created by NIU. The water and sewer systems and road damage are significant examples of the need for more ample allocations, he said.

Sparrow speculated repairs on Annie Glidden Road and Lucinda Avenue would reach up to $2.3 million alone.

Ken Beasley, assistant to NIU President John LaTourette, said NIU recognizes the impact it makes on DeKalb and supports the concept of the bill. Students become citizens to the police and fire deparments of DeKalb, and the buses provide much wear and tear on the city streets, Beasley said.

Beasley said the bill, introduced in April, was assigned to Interim Study, where it currently sits in committee.

The bill will remain in study in the House of Higher Education committee until the money situation improves, Countryman said. Until then, he said he doubts it will get much support.

Countryman said HB 1519 is alive in committee and can be called back for another hearing next year. He said it will sit until he feels there is enough available revenue to have a chance, but with so much competition for education dollars, the outlook at this point is not good.

State Sen. Patrick Welch, D-Peru, said because the effects are not evident, the bill would have a better chance if it was tied with other legislation. But he said he supports the idea, and bills similiar to HB 1519 are already in existence.