Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore Reports Township Board’s Taxing to the Max
Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore’s weekly newsletter:
Weekly Newsletter from Supervisor Moore
SUBJECT LINE: Tax Rate Increase, Property Tax Quiz, Christmas Giveaway Successful, Christmas Crafts at
Bingo Tuesday
Linda Moore
Dear Resident,
Merry Christmas! I am enjoying all of the Christmas lights as I meet with residents during the campaign
season. The township office is welcoming less visitors now that the deadline to file appeals has passed.
Try a quiz to see how much you know about your property taxes. The board met last week and returned to court again. The Christmas spirit is alive at the supervisor’s office.
TAX RATE INCREASE AT BOARD MEETING
Thursday night the board held its regular meeting. They passed an increase (4 to 1, Supervisor Moore voted no) in the tax levy for both the town (4%) and road district (4.99%). [Under the Tax Cap, tax districts are allowed to increase the amount they take from taxpayers by 3%--the increase in the Consumer Price Index last year--plus new growth. Both levies mentioned guarantee the Grafton Township tax districts will maximize their tax takes.]
Although I pointed out that residents cannot afford to pay more taxes and that the road district has a surplus equivalent to almost one year’s revenue, the motion carried.
Last week the trustees filed a new motion with the courts asking Judge Caldwell to approve a down payment of $10,000 for the services of a forensic auditor. The trustees have not cited any fraud, nor does a forensic audit guarantee fraud investigation. They have not approved payment on an independent audit completed two years ago.
ASSESSOR REQUESTS
Assessor Ottley is asking for 12 new windows in his office, he would also like to purchase a new copier, to contract with a new phone company and to pay $300 per month to join an MLS Service for commercial property. He does not know yet how many appeals have been filed, but he is sure that it was less than the 2000, approximately, that were filed last year. He will post the figures on his website soon.
QUIZ YOURSELF REGARDING TAX LEVIES
The levies passed by local government, which include townships, are used in the calculation of your tax rate. Here’s the formula:
LEVY(*1) / Total Equalized Assessed Value(*2) = Tax Rate
*1 – A Levy is determined by Bonded Indebtedness, Local School Boards, and Local Governments.
*2 – The Total Equalized Assessed Value is determined by the Assessor.
QUIZ
1. The largest share of property tax goes to _______________.
2. Give two examples of “special property valuations” or “preferential assessments.”
3. The _________ property owner pays the largest share of the property tax.
4. List two strengths of the property tax.
5. List two weaknesses of the property tax.
Look at the end of this letter for the answers. (Source – Illinois Property Institute)
CHRISTMAS DINNER GIVE-AWAY
Yesterday, the Huntley Lions Club and Grafton Township General Assistance Supervisor Linda Moore worked together to give away Christmas Dinners and presents donated by the Sun City Woodchucks and other private donors. The gifts were greatly appreciated. One of the recipients, with a large family of young children, asked for help with fuel to return home. The generosity of the Lions Club members was immediate, without hesitation and heart-warming. Everyone worked in rainy weather without complaint.
Highway Commissioner Jack Freund and Huntley Village Trustee Nick Hanson were on hand to pitch in. Thank you for giving families a Christmas Dinner and presents that they may not have been able to afford to celebrate otherwise. If you know of someone who is in a financial emergency, direct them to their local township office for possible help or for referral to help. We always welcome donations at the township office food pantry. Remember, if you know of someone who needs a coat, but can’t afford to buy one, we have plenty of warm coats available at the township for all ages.
TOWNSHIP BINGO THIS WEEK
On Tuesday, December 18th, at 11am join us for Christmas Crafts, a free lunch sponsored by Congressman Randy Hultgren, and bingo games. All ages are welcome. We will meet at the Huntley American Legion. This is the last event of 2012. January 15th is the next bingo. Please join us for some fun and have lunch on Congressman Randy Hultgren.
FLAG LOWERED
We have lowered the township flag to half-staff in memory of the recent victims of the Connecticut school shooting of 26 people ages 6 to 56. I extend my sincerest sympathies to their families.
Sincerely,
Linda Moore, Grafton Township Supervisor
QUIZ ANSWERS
1. Education
2. Farmland, Model homes, Coal, Solar Energy System, Historic residences, subdivisions, open space, subdivision commons, and oil.
3. Residential
4. Difficult to evade, Stable Revenue, value can be estimated, locally administered, historically a rising value.
5. Taxes unrealized gains, inequitable assessments, lump sum payments are inconvenient, regressive, high burden on certain taxpayers relative to income, viewed as unfair.
Oh Linda, once again you are trying to look like a hero.
Guess what? You are still a ZERO!
Would you like to mention that you vote No to everything?
Even when it comes to paying bills?
Residents don’t be fooled, this levy is NOT raising taxes.
The trustees do not have the authority to do that!!
1The abject hate of a citizen politician is amazing.
Same old tired argument from Caddy –
“She didn’t pay the bills!”
Well the bills were never given to her so she could pay on time.
Goofy Trustee Sycophant.
2If you read the highlights of the last meeting on the FEN, Linda had a problem calculating the correct amount to over-levy.
I’m sure pushing the calculator buttons is also the fault of the trustees.
The light is at the end of the tunnel, Grafton!
3LLP – wow you really are out of touch.
The bills were never given to you, oh I mean her?
Not sure how close you are with yourself/her, but valid bills are requested by the trustees to be PAID.
You/she doesn’t pay them!!
4And Moore wants to know why a Forensic Audit is required?
Hmm,
1. Financial statements that do not balance month-to-month.
2. Accounting Journal Entries that are completed with error.
3. Inability to use a calculator for basic computations.
4. Refusal to produce actual cancelled checks since elected. Instructing the bank officer to ignore requests from Trustees for banking details.
5. Instructing Partners of Audit Firms NOT to answer questions From Trustees whose responsibilities include financials; whose official title prior to Trustees were town Auditors.
6. Refusal/Inability to produce details behind financial questions by Trustees during monthly meetins.
7. Using GA funds for Township Activities.
8. Refusing to pay for services of the Assessor and Road District after the board approves 100%, after confirming adequate funds were within related budgets and adequate business justifications were completed.
9. Continuing monthly excessive spending causing overbudget results; ignoring Board’s 100% requests to stop such spending.
10. Producing Board Packets that were for many months late in delivery to the Trustees; board packets that did not contain all requested information by the Trustees; providing financial statements within board packets that were inaccurate and non-complete.
5Having been McHenry County Treasurer and having watched tax districts for decades, I have to say that saying a tax district board does not have the power to raise taxes is incorrect.
If a tax district this year asked for more than what was collected last year, taxes will increase.
There is one exception to that generalization. If the increase in the levy equals the increase in the assessed valuation of new construction and property coming out of a TIF district, taxes on current taxpayers would remain constant.
6Notice Linda’s statement, “I am enjoying all of the Christmas lights while I meet with residents during the campaign. I find that a little upsetting. Do you think she enjoyed meeting the residents too?
Linda instead of interpreting a proactive forensic audit as a slight on your integrity or insisting the trustees are looking for fraud, why not look at the audit as a means to improve control procedures for the benefit of the taxpayers.
The concern the trustees have are the amount of mistakes you make taking money from incorrect line items and all the corrections that follow.
7Mrs. Moore, why are you AGAINST having the township financials audited?
8They have not approved payment on an independent audit completed two years ago.
This makes it impossible to complete the audit for the following year which is past due.
A forensic auditor would have the same inability.
I do not have the authority to order this audit.
The trustees must pay for the completed audit to move forward.
Why would the trustees pay for one year of the audits from EMP and not the other year of work?
9Is “Forensicauditneeded” above Trustee LaPorta, why does he hide his identity?
Shall we conduct township business in the comments section of blogs?
If so, then we must post a notice so that the public can attend.
10Mrs. Moore, wasn’t “transparency” one of the bullet points of your campaign?
If you can’t “do not have the authority” to order an audit, who does?
11Is “LuvLuvPam” Supervisor Moore, why does she hide his identity?
Shall we conduct township business in the comments section of blogs?
If so, then we must post a notice so that the public can attend.
12Linda, it is interesting that you ignore the facts posted by “ForensicAuditNeedASAP!” and respond to something you created in your head (I bet that happens frequently).
You keep posting that “you do not have the authority to order a forensic audit.”
Why ARE you against having a forensic audit performed?
13Please pass out some more campaign literature with you Grafton newsletter her in Sun City. Some people didn’t get your materials, Linda.
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