Citizens Against TIFS, Jim Young, Chairman

Mayor Shepley/Council Plan TIF Tax Hike

The Crystal Lake City Council is planning to divert money from our school, park & college districts to benefit developers along Route 14 and on Main St. in Crystal Lake.

Districts 47 & 155 will lose MILLIONS OF DOLLARS over a 23-year period. Schools (and other local governments) will make up for the loss, no matter what the Northwest Herald says. They will raise our real estate tax bills. Any extra money paid by the businesses in the TIF districts won’t go to the schools or parks or MCC. Up to $6 million a year (approaching $130 million in all, including interest,) will be spent on the TIF districts to subsidize developers, such as, high-end retail, $500,000 2-bedroom lakefront condos, etc.

With multi-million sales having been reported ($7 million: Conlon-Collins Ford and $3.2 million: the old Hines Lumber property), can Rt. 14 and Main Street be considered blighted?

In a TIF, the assessed valuation is frozen for 23 years. Real estate taxes are still collected, but they do not go to our schools, MCC, park and other local governments. Taxes on any increase in value will be spent as the city council
sees fit in the TIF districts. TIFs take from Peter to pay Paul. You will be “Peter.” Mayor Shepley and the city council decide who “Paul” is. The council votes on Tues., Nov. 15th.

Because our schools, parks, etc., won’t be able to tax as much as they could otherwise for 23 years, they will raise the tax rates for the rest of us. We will pay more so the schools, etc., can replace the lost taxes!

Another financing method is available—one that does not cost us one cent. It’s called a Special Service Area Assessment. It pays for improvements that will benefit specific property owners. CL now uses SSA’s to charge
new homeowners for streets, sewers, etc. State Motor Fuel Tax is another way to pay for road improvements.

The Rt. 14 area seems primarily designed to pay for Vulcan Lakes’ improvements, some of which could have been obtained from Vulcan before it stopped mining. A boardwalk along the lakes is apparently planned with waterfront dining, maybe a hotel, high-end shopping and other waterfront businesses and housing. Another Vulcan Lakes’ alternative that would not raise our tax rates would be to convince the McHenry County Conservation
District to finally spend some of the millions it has collected in the Crystal Lake area.

This tax hike will be approved by the city council on Nov. 15th–unless you do something about it! If you don’t want your tax rate to go up because of these two TIFs, call Mayor Shepley at 477-4761 and Council Members Ellen Brady Mueller at 477-4502, Howie Christensen at 459-1153, Ralph Dawson at 459-1505, Cathy Ferguson at 477-7254, Dave Goss at 455-3365, and Jeff Thorsen at 455-5452.

Send emails to comments@CrystalLake.org. Just put the official’s name in the title line.

Attend the Nov. 15h City Council meeting at 7:30. Tell Crystal Lake officials not to raise our taxes!

Volunteer to hand out Flyers. Call 459-3506.