PEKIN, Ill. (25 News) – Pekin City Council voted for property taxes to go up four percent in 2026 to help pay off pension debt for emergency service workers.
City staff recommended the maximum 4.9 percent increase to pay off police and fire pension debt during the city council meeting last week. However, one council member made a significant amendment to the ordinance.
25 News reports that Councilman Jake Fletcher suggested a four percent increase instead, amending the ordinance with a five-to-two vote. The entire property tax levy has gone toward paying off pension debt in recent years, and this increase will bump up payments starting May 1.
Fletcher said the fire and police pension debts are the number one problem the city faces. He said that without an increase of some sort, paying off those bills would not be possible.
“I feel that if we do not go at least four percent, we’re just kicking the can back down the road, and I’m not in favor of that at all,” Fletcher said. “We cannot address the problem if we can’t pay this bill that’s due every year.”
A homeowner with a valuation of $135,000 can expect a tax increase of about $25 a year with the increased levy.
The Pekin Library Board also recommended a 4.9 percent increase for the 2026-27 fiscal year, but that was also reduced to 4 percent.
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