Kenwood Central Joint Economic Development Zone collections fell about 22 percent, draining the district's refund account. The decline is detailed in the draft document packet for Sycamore Township's Tuesday, Sept. 1, JEDZ board meetings.

The four Kenwood corridor JEDZ boards meet at the township administrative building at 8540 Kenwood Road. Northwest meets at 4 p.m., Southwest at 4:15 p.m., East at 4:30 p.m. and Central immediately after.

Central's decline

Treasurer Michael Norton-Smith told the Central JEDZ board at its June 2 meeting that municipal net profit taxes filed with the state are where refund activity has been concentrated. The collecting city had to issue a $136,000 payment to the refund account, based on either overestimates of revenue or weaker business profits.

The refund balance was depleted. The account had to be recapitalized with $20,000 in both March and April.

Norton-Smith said "the 2025 numbers could be an anomaly; compared to 2024, this year's numbers are not as off," suggesting unusually large payments in early 2025 may have inflated the year-over-year comparison.

He also noted an uptick in refunds across both the East and Central districts, saying he was unsure whether it reflected overestimation of municipal returns in prior years or increased refund activity.

Three districts post gains

The other three Kenwood JEDZ districts are trending upward.

Amberley Village Tax Administrator Ken Smallwood reported at the June 2 Southwest JEDZ meeting that collections were up 9 percent overall from the previous year. Financial tables in the draft packet show the Sycamore Township distribution for the first half of 2026 totaled $933,397.73, compared to $641,799.58 for the same two quarters in 2025.

Smallwood said the village is still receiving refund requests from some brokerages. When Chairman Tom Weidman asked whether firms were bringing employees back to the office, Smallwood replied that "many are holding firm to a hybrid schedule."

Northwest JEDZ gross collections through July totaled $874,129.58 year-to-date, up from $810,435.69 for the same period in 2025. The district collects through the City of Deer Park at a 1.5 percent tax rate, distributing 90 percent to Sycamore Township and 10 percent to Deer Park.

East JEDZ collections are up about $50,000 over last year, with township collections at about $1.2 million and city collections at about $131,000, Norton-Smith reported at the June 2 meeting.

What's ahead

At the June 2 Northwest meeting, Weidman said the township is pushing to change state law so the JEDZ withholding rate could be increased to offset lost property tax revenue.

Each board's Sept. 1 agenda includes approval of June 2 minutes and a district update. The Northwest board will also hold an election of secretary. The next round of meetings is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1.