CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake City Council this week approved a 2.61 percent increase in its property tax levy for 2013, which is less than the 3 percent increase that limits many other taxing bodies under Illinois’ tax cap law.

Crystal Lake, as a home-rule community, is exempt from the law that ties annual property tax increases to the smaller of 5 percent or the rate of inflation, which this year was set at 3 percent based on the Consumer Price Index.

Nonetheless, the city held a public hearing this week on its levy in the interest of transparency, officials said.