McHenry County Blog

What you read below is just one person’s opinion of what happened at the Cary Chamber of Commerce’s candidates’ forum.  Over 100 attended.

If you attended and would like to share what you saw and heard, please comment below or, if it’s as long as this, send it to McHenry County Blog in an email (the address is on the left).

The candidates in the pictures, left to right,
Park District Commissioner – Mike Renner, Patrick Smith, Phil Stanko.
Mayor – Bruce Kaplan, Mark Kownick

“For Cary Park District, I thought Patrick Smith came off well. He has my bullet vote.

“His ‘use it or lose it’ theme, referring to Cary Park District’s massive land holdings, resonated well with me.

“Renner has been there for 18 years, doesn’t want to buy Chalet golf course, but he doesn’t want to sell Foxford Hills either. Stanko seemed more concerned with environmentalism, which to me is MCCD’s job, than use of parks for recreation and holding taxes down.

“For Cary Mayor, Kaplan said a few things I liked, mainly about allowing the free market to work and reducing regulations and fees.

“Kownick didn’t seem to have any revelations. He seems beholden to the Cary sports organizations (basketball, soccer, etc.).

“I asked the mayoral candidates if they could explain why both of Cary’s TIF districts shouldn’t be immediately abolished.

“Neither had an answer.

Park Board – Mike Renner, Patrick Smith, Phil Stanko.
Mayor – Bruce Kaplan, Mark Kownick

“Former Cary Mayor Kathy Parks relentlessly attacked Kaplan for wanting the free market to work and wanting to reduce fees.

“Another guy relentlessly attacked Kownick for not properly shutting down a business he owned 16 years ago.”

The Cary Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a candidates’ forum Thursday evening at the Park District’s Oak Room at 7.

Both village mayoral and park district aspirants will be featured.

Cary folks who think one golf course is enough for the Cary Park District to own are circulating the petition you see below this weekend:

The petition asking for an advisory referendum on whether the Cary Park District should buy another golf course.

There had been a more informal petition circulated earlier, but this one, while not being binding, would set up an issue on the April ballot when the feet of Cary Park Board members favoring the purchase could be held to the fire.

Chalet Hills Golf Club is the one being considered for purchase by the taxpayers.

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If you would like to help pass the petition, email me at calskinner2@gmail.com and I’ll forward your phone number and email address.  One does not have to live in Cary to gather signatures on the petition.

Petitions are available at Century 21 Sketchbook in Cary, 20 Northwest Highway.

Contact is Joanne Daubner at 847-951-9806.

Early construction of a new building at Crystal Lake’s West Beach began at the end of August.  The $1.7 million building is being financed by non-referendum bonds not subject to the Property Tax Cap.

Today we are looking at Park Districts with territory in McHenry County to find out if any are close to their maximum rate limits. The source of this information is the Tax Rate page of the McHenry County Clerk’s web site.

As long as the rates are under the limit enough, districts can continue to obtain the extra tax dollars which the Property Tax Cap allows.

That is a 3% increase for next year.

In such cases, it does not matter that one’s property value has decreased.

Park Districts that had debt outstanding at the end of 1994 or 1995 were granted the ability to sell bonds in perpetuity without voter approval as long as the amount of interest and principal are the same as the amount paid in that benchmark year.

It something like a revolving credit card that never has to be paid off.

Such bonds are undoubtedly financing the new building at Crystal Lake’s West Beach.

There certainly was no referendum passed.

Marengo’s Park District is at the 10 cent limit for its Corporate Fund already. That accounted for just 29% of the tax rate, however. Another fund, the Recreation Fund, is not near its limit. It took up 24% of the tax bill this year.

That, with another 35% of the bill not limited by the Tax Cap means Marengo taxpayers should not hold their breath hoping the Tax Cap will cut their Park District tax bill next year.

The Park District tax bill was cut last year, Heather Shepard told me. because a bond was paid off.

The first park district on the McHenry County Clerk’s list, Barrington Hills, is near its maximum. Its maximum rate is 10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and it’s rate this year is 9.965589 cents per hundred.

Multiply this year’s rate by the increase in the Consumer Price Index (3%) and you will see that the Barrington Hills’ rate would be 10.25 cents per hundred.

Administering the Tax Cap the McHenry County Clerk’s Office will say, “Sorry,” so to speak, “you can only get 10 cents per hundred.”

The Cary Park District, on the other hand, is at its maximum tax rate for its Corporate Fund right now. That’s 35 cents per hundred.

Thar Corporate fund amounted to 53% of its total tax take this year.

Cary’s Recreation Fund is getting close to the limit, but won’t reach it for about two more years.

When that happens, about 70% of the Park District tax rate will be prohibited from increasing.

Crystal Lake, on the other hand, has about three more years at current rates of inflation before it bumps up against its maximum Corporate Fund rate of 10 cents per hundred.

Almost as large is something called an “Additional Corporate Fund.” It’s maximum is 25 cents per hundred and this year it is only at .4 cents, so there is plenty of room for growth there.

There is also a “Recreation Fund” with a 12 cent per hundred maximum. It is at 8.9 cents.

There are also a couple of other funds under their smaller maximum rates with no limit and all the bond paybacks, including ones issued without referendum approval, so the Tax Cap won’t have much effect on the Crystal Lake Park District for some time.

In any event, from a levy workshop I thought the Crystal Lake Park District is planning to tax to the max in the coming year.  Turns out the Board changed its collective mind in the intervening week and decided only to raise taxes by 0.45%.  See story here.

The Huntley Park District is not close to its maximum tax rate limits.

There is also another factor in play which could cause many more tax districts statutory rate limit problems.

Mandated by the State Revenue Department, assessment levels will decrease by 9%.

Logic tells me that a district less than 12% below its statutory rate limit will not get the maximum amount allowed under PTELL, the acronym of the property tax cap law.

The following email was sent to Cary Park District Executive Director Dan Jones by Michael Rein:

Dear Mr. Jones:

Having had the opportunity to discuss the possibility of the Cary Park District purchasing Chalet Hills Golf Course with many park district residents, I offer the following:

If purchased, Chalet Hills Golf Club would be the second owned by the Cary Park District.

Virtually all those I have spoken with have concurred that for a variety of reasons, it is inappropriate for the Park District to purchase a business, albeit a golf course.

With the exception of some residents of Chalet Hills, virtually all others feel it is inappropriate for a unit of government to compete with entrepreneurs, investors and other entities that typically would purchase a golf course.

Owning a golf course that a small percentage of area residents would utilize, raises the scope of recreation provided to a level that a local park district need not provide.

Certainly a sufficient number of both public and private courses exist within that area that residents can utilize.

Several residents have raised concerns regarding area privately owned courses having to compete against publicly owned courses and question where this will stop.

Where there are some things that a populous can better accomplish working together such as parks for children and programs for seniors, at what point does it all stop?

If the Park District concerns itself with golf, should it not too provide (underwrite) other adult recreational activities such as sky diving, scuba diving and perhaps motocross?

How about a shooting range?

Many feel such a purchase is speculative at best, and creates an unnecessary fiduciary risk to property owners.

One only has to consider the numerous golf courses within fifteen or so miles of Cary that have been and are currently in foreclosure.

Most conflicting, is the fact that commissioners, have the ability to golf for free.

Certainly it would be reasonable for commissioners to play for free if they were representing the Park District at an event or perhaps a round or two per year, but carte blanche!

This seems to be a conflict of interest, and impropriety!

At the last meeting, one commissioner stated the Park District had not increased their levy. The amount has been the same for the past twenty years!

Where this may be true regarding the percentage of the value of real estate that governmental bodies such as the Park District collect, although value of much of the real estate in the Park District has depreciated to values of nearly two decades ago, entities such as the Park District continue to enjoy revenue based on the peak values of 2006.

This is evidenced by the fact that the levy is independent of real estate value trends, and do not take into consideration the decline of value in property over the same period.

Vis-a-vis, although real estate values in many areas of the Park District territory now are at levels from nearly two decades ago, the Park District and other governmental bodies collect revenue based on peak values of 2005/2006 along with annual percentage increases allowed under Illinois law.

Another concern expressed by numerous residents, is the fact that property owned by a governmental entity will be removed from the tax roles with the burden then distributed among privately owned real estate resulting in yet another increase in the amount of real estate taxes paid.

Michale Rein

As an area Real Estate broker in the Cary area for over thirty years, I have had the opportunity to interact with many property owners, or perhaps a more appropriate term, is property owners who are about to be Foreclosed on, and no longer will be property owners.

It is my observation the vast majority of those losing their homes, were at one time were typical Cary area residents with middle class jobs, retirement accounts and children who they have assisted with their education through their savings and often with home equity loans.

These people now found themselves unemployed or underemployed.

They have exhausted their savings doing ‘the right thing” making their mortgage payments as long as they can, and now find themselves living literally day to day, about to to be homeless and without health insurance.

Certainly real estate taxes have been a significant drain on family budgets.

Not only for all the aforementioned reasons, but at a time when we find so many of our neighbors living in a state of crisis, seeking public assistance from sources such as area food pantries, it seems unconscionable that a taxing body that represents a significant portion of our real estate tax bills would, rather than looking for ways to reduce their levy, put area property owners at risk of increased taxes!

Should it be necessary to cover a loss incurred due to ownership of yet another golf course, regardless of the price?

At the Park District meeting last week one commissioner stated that there was not time for an advisory referendum, that a decision had to be made very soon.

I question why there would not be time, for if there is a buyer from the private sector for the golf course, should that buyer be competing with a governmental entity?

If not, why not let the bank currently holding the property continue to have a receiver run the course until such time as a referendum can held?

Respectfully,

Michael Rein
Cary Park District Resident

Foxford Hills Golf Club is owned by the Cary Park District.

This message came from a Cary Park District taxpayer. I think it is worth sharing.

You may wish to look into the Cary Area Park District considering the purchase of Chalet Hills Golf Course.

“At the meeting last week there were no reporters present.

“Two distinct factions were present, those who live in Chalet Hills and feel the park district purchasing the course is a great idea, and others who feel the purchase should be out of the question.

“It appeared clear that the board members have already made up their minds, heck, they appeared to all be golfers!

“Anyway, it appears this matter is about to heat up.”

The Park District already owns Foxford Hills Golf Club.

McHenry County Tea Party coordinator Laurie Jenner adds,

Chalet Hills Golf Course sign.

“Chalet Hills Golf Course and Club have been in foreclosure for years. If the price was right, would not a private entity invest in the purchase of it?”It’s obviously not making money, or it would have been sold.

“So, the Cary Park District thinks it’s a good idea to purchase it.

Foxford Hills Golf Course sign.

“They already own the poorly performing Foxford Hills.

“The same management company currently operates both golf courses.

“A friend that lives on Chalet Hills golf course said the property taxes on the golf course are what killed it for the foreclosed owners.

“So, should those tax dollars really come off the rolls?

“No way!

“If Foxford Hills was profitable, money should come back as a savings to taxpayers.

“Instead Cary Park District asked for the maximum increase this past year.

“And, of course, there are no property tax dollars coming in from the golf course.

“A town the size of Cary has no business owning one course, but now they think they should own two?

“The distance between Foxford Hills and Chalet Hills can’t be much more than a mile.

Hoffman Park sign.

“Cary Park District owns way too much land as it is.

“The Hoffman property should have never been purchased.

“That purchase was for the sole purpose of keeping gravel mining out of ‘our back yard’.

“But, enough voters said yes to that referendum years ago.

“Again, another huge parcel off the tax rolls.”

The next meeting is Thursday, October 25th, at 7 PM.

The little referendum I worked on, the Bull Valley Annexation referendum, went down big time. Those who think the village should forcibly annex property got over 80% of the vote.

524-129.

Proponents made the pitch that voting “Yes” would result in “open spaces.”

We’ll see.

It takes 11 signatures to run for Bull Valley village trustee, but I’d suggest getting 20, if you want to run. The ruling establishment loves lawyers and might well try to know unfriendly candidates off the ballot. (They also steal signs.)

Only time will tell if the village will continue losing court cases.

My non-lawyer prediction is that the board will.

I can safely predict that the village board will continue spending more money on attorney’s fees than it spends on repaving its roads…and its roads will get still worse. Under $1,000 of pothole filling each year won’t repave any roads.

As the ministers say during their stewardship sermons, where you spend your money tells what your priorities are.

By 53.2% to 46.8%, Harvard School District 50 voters decided to raise the taxes for schools.

The Huntley Library tax issue went down almost 60% to 40%.

The McHenry Library referendum similarly was dissed by the voters.

The Cary Park Board won the right to sell 80 acres to raise money for a community center next to Cary-Grove High School.

In Algonquin-Lake in the Hills, voters approved having more elected officials on the fire protection district board. The practical effect is to allow district trustees to talk among themselves before meetings.

The little referendum I worked on, the Bull Valley Annexation referendum, went down big time. Those who think the village should forcibly annex property got over 80% of the vote.

524-129.

Proponents made the pitch that voting “Yes” would result in “open spaces.”

We’ll see.

It takes 11 signatures to run for Bull Valley village trustee, but I’d suggest getting 20, if you want to run. The ruling establishment loves lawyers and might well try to know unfriendly candidates off the ballot. (They also steal signs.)

Only time will tell if the village will continue losing court cases.

My non-lawyer prediction is that the board will.

I can safely predict that the village board will continue spending more money on attorney’s fees than it spends on repaving its roads…and its roads will get still worse. Under $1,000 of pothole filling each year won’t repave any roads.

As the ministers say during their stewardship sermons, where you spend your money tells what your priorities are.

By 53.2% to 46.8%, Harvard School District 50 voters decided to raise the taxes for schools.

The Huntley Library tax issue went down almost 60% to 40%.

The McHenry Library referendum similarly was dissed by the voters.

The Cary Park Board won the right to sell 80 acres to raise money for a community center next to Cary-Grove High School.

In Algonquin-Lake in the Hills, voters approved having more elected officials on the fire protection district board. The practical effect is to allow district trustees to talk among themselves before meetings.

The source of the spiffy pamphlet supporting passage of the sale of the part of Hoffman Park that fronts on Route 31 has been discovered.

The part which the park board is seeking to sell lies where we had the little ceremony when it was announced that the park would be named for farm owner Hoffman in exchange for a lower price. If was a couple of hundred feet from this sign, back near the barn.

It’s also where the announcement was made that $400,000 of state money would be provided. That was my share that year of what legislative leaders euphemistically call “member initiative” money, but most people call “pork.”

The State Board of Elections reports that Scott Hamann of 1073 Acron Way in Cary is responsible for the $2,000.09 that it cost. That total includes his in-kind professional services.

Hamann is obviously a big supporter of the park district, evidenced not only by the campaign piece, but by the fact he ran for the Cary Park Board last year, losing by just two votes.

The Route 14 sign above doesn’t advocate voting for the referendum and is on park district property. It was put up by the Cary Park District and directs folks to information about the referendum. It points to this on the internet.

The source of the spiffy pamphlet supporting passage of the sale of the part of Hoffman Park that fronts on Route 31 has been discovered.

The part which the park board is seeking to sell lies where we had the little ceremony when it was announced that the park would be named for farm owner Hoffman in exchange for a lower price. If was a couple of hundred feet from this sign, back near the barn.

It’s also where the announcement was made that $400,000 of state money would be provided. That was my share that year of what legislative leaders euphemistically call “member initiative” money, but most people call “pork.”

The State Board of Elections reports that Scott Hamann of 1073 Acron Way in Cary is responsible for the $2,000.09 that it cost. That total includes his in-kind professional services.

Hamann is obviously a big supporter of the park district, evidenced not only by the campaign piece, but by the fact he ran for the Cary Park Board last year, losing by just two votes.

The Route 14 sign above doesn’t advocate voting for the referendum and is on park district property. It was put up by the Cary Park District and directs folks to information about the referendum. It points to this on the internet.