McHenry Grade School District 15 Board member Erik Sivertsen commented recently on the subsidy that Fabrik requested. It follows:
Erik Sivertsen
The [property tax] abatement proposal was on the agenda for one of the D15 meetings.
The committee that had placed it there, removed it.
I was prepared to vote against the proposal.
I don’t think it is the school board’s place to be picking winners and losers in the economy.
We need to reduce the levy, so that all of the businesses are given the same opportunity to succeed.
D15 has a record of levying a surplus every year and stashing it away.
That is how the district is doing all of this construction without asking for voter approval.
Once these construction projects are done, there will still be a rather large surplus and it continues to grow.
At the last meeting, the board approved another increase in the next levy, with only Betty Davis and I voting to oppose the increase.
After the construction is done, there will be the addition of all day kindergarten, without the approval of the voters.
There will be significant costs associated with the program every year, and it is a program with little to no benefit to the students.
Millions of dollars are already being spent to add the additional classrooms for the program.
You seem to take pride in spending and accumulating money so that you don’t have to go to the voters! You lost me.
Eliminate the surplus and reduce the levy!
Crystal Lake lost a huge employer in Chemtool because of Illinois and McHenry County taxes.
When will our elected officials get it? This guy is out of touch.
I sure hope Fabrik does not leave, economic development is the job of every taxing body.
Illinois will continue to lose good business.
For every one business that stays because they received some special tax break ten others left or closed up because they did not.
Economic development is a band aid for a broken arm.
Fred, I disagree with what you proclaim in your last sentence.
Economic development is the job of general purpose units of government like counties and municipalities.
Specific purpose government entities were created by the people for specific purposes like parks and recreation, education, or even mosquito abatement.
Strategies such as enterprise zones, Industrial revenue bonds, and sales tax reductions are appropriate tools.
TIF-like solutions like the Fabrik abatement scheme seem to me to be inappropriate.
To Jim and Fred above: you missed understood him.
He (and Betty Davis) is fighting to oppose the levy!
He is opposed to the surplus and the ridiculous spending without voter approval, not taking pride in it.
He opposed the tax break for one company because that is not their job- picking winners and losers for tax breaks.
He is the financial voice of reason on the board fighting against the majority.
You both spoke without any knowledge on the situation and Completely missed what he was saying.
Thank you Adam for correcting the other posters.
Insofar as “economic development is the job of every taxing body”, I could agree if the comment meant that taxing bodies are responsible for creating a environment of efficient low cost government which will attract business and people willing to work.
Currently in McHenry County economic development is being interpreted as:
a wider Randall Road,
a new bridge over the Fox,
another interchange on the toll road,
tax breaks for chosen businesses,
TIFs to support crony capitalism,
more ‘affordable housing’,
more social services,
more group homes,
more roundabouts,
more Special Service Areas,
more public transit etc.
All of these changes will NOT attract more business or more people willing to work but it will create a higher tax burden and attract people who rely on those taxpayer funded projects and services.
Just look at the recent statistics provided by United Van lines relative to Illinois.
When we look at people between the age of 18 and 44, movement into and out of the state showed 7.46 percent more moving out.
When we look at people between the age 55 and older, movement into and out of the state showed 9.89 % more moving in.
Why?
No income tax on retirement income?
So, what is the response of most State Democrats and some Republicans?
We need to tax pensions (they are starting with public pensions but that will be the foot in the door).
Government units need to quit subsidizing business and get out of the economic development business.