Skillicorn Supports Legislation Allowing TIF Money to Go to Schools

A press release from State Rep. Allen Skillicorn:

Skillicorn Pushes TIF Reform and Transparency for Taxpayers

CRYSTAL LAKE – Last week, State Representative Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) joined with colleagues in the Illinois House of Representatives to pass legislation to reform tax increment financing districts, better known as TIF’s.

In addition passing House Bill 3720, which reforms the way surplus TIF funds can be used, Skillicorn is also working on legislation to improve TIF transparency and reform the way TIF’s are used to entice businesses.

“The original purpose of these TIF districts was to help rebuild blighted properties and provide economic stimulus,” said Skillicorn. “Unfortunately, in many cases TIF districts have become a misused form of underperforming corporate welfare that ultimately adds more and more costs to taxpayers.”

House Bill 3720, which Skillicorn helped pass last week, reforms the TIF process by allowing surplus funds collected through a TIF district to be used for public school expenses. Public schools frequently bear the unintended consequence of TIF districts, which put more pressure on local property taxpayers.

To help curb the burden placed on property taxpayers by TIF’s, Skillicorn is working on legislation to prevent municipalities from luring businesses from other Illinois communities by offering businesses TIF funds. This practice of using taxpayer funds as an incentive for business development, while intended to provide economic stimulus, often leads to higher taxes for the TIF impacted community in addition to the loss of economic activity for the community the business has left. House Bill 361, which Skillicorn has already filed, seeks to add transparency to the TIF process by requiring property tax bills to contain a list of the TIF districts and the amount of tax dollars going to them. Doing so would allow property taxpayers to see exactly how much of their tax dollars are going to TIF districts.

“Taxpayers have a right to know exactly how much they are contributing to TIF districts,” said Skillicorn. “They also shouldn’t have to worry about losing businesses and jobs in their community because a TIF is being used to lure businesses away.”


Comments

Skillicorn Supports Legislation Allowing TIF Money to Go to Schools — 6 Comments

  1. More money to public schools schools without reforming pensions, retiree healthcare, collective bargaining, enacting stronger transparency laws, and allowing school choice is a waste of time and money.

    We are always in a school funding crisis.

    Always.

    In good times and in bad.

    There is never enough money.

    Never.

  2. Alternative legislation might allowing refunding surplus TIF money to the taxpayers.

    “Public school expenses” in the proposed legislation can be used for salary & benefit hikes?

    How many school board members track individual salary and benefit hikes year over year?…instead of just relying on “average” statistics provided by the administration or teacher union…best to track both pensionable and non pensionable earnings…track the accumulated sick days…track each current and retiree benefit hikes…etc….many if not most board members don’t even review the collective bargaining agreement change document (the marked up document which contains underline text for additions and stricken text for deletions for example) before voting whether or not to approve a tentative agreement.

  3. Is freedom free? Well, education is not free either. Did you thank a teacher today? “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Thank you Nelson, your legacy lives on, regardless of being labeled a terrorist by the United States’ government. 2018, are you here yet? Tic, tock, tic, tock…

  4. Se nota la compulsión obsesiva de mis amigos conservadores ultra fanáticos reaccionarios. No pierden la oportunidad de atacar los cimientos mismos de nuestro sistema educativo y su elemento más importante: el educador. En esta semana de agradecimiento a los educadores de este país y del mundo entero, rendimos homenaje a todos aquellos maestros y maestras que con tanto esfuerzo han contribuido para el éxito de nuestros niños y jóvenes por tantas generaciones. Desde luego que la profesión de educadores continúa bajo asedio y constante ataque por parte de aquellos que detestan una sociedad de igual oportunidad para todos; sobre todo para aquellos con menos recursos económicos. Sin embargo, la gran mayoría de los buenos habitantes de Estados Unidos y del mundo entero reconocen, respetan, valoran y agradecen a sus educadores; con excepción de un pequeño grupito de insatisfechos fracasados ante la vida, que por falta de un mínimo análisis reflexivo, prefieren pisotear la profesión del educador para con la cual nuestra sociedad tanta deuda tiene.

  5. And the Bolshevik speaks again. Are you also connected to NAMBLA like ANTIFA?

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