Maybe it’s not tea leaves. Maybe it’s newspaper clippings to which I should allude. In any event, the first two McHenry County Board endorsement editorials got me thinking. McHenry County’s paper of record has suggested dumping Board Chairman Ken Koehler … Continue reading
I cut my political teeth while McHenry County Treasurer in 1959-70 by challenging real estate assessments before the McHenry County Board of Review (a fool’s errand in those days) and, then, appealing them to the newly-former Illinois Property Tax Appeals … Continue reading
As I mentioned in my short article Saturday, the records of incumbent County Board members and the positions of challengers on holding real estate taxes constant or even lowering them could become the issue of the March 20th Republican primary … Continue reading
Under the Real Estate Tax Cap (PTELL to the technocrats), tax districts are limited to the increase in the Cost of Living as to how much they can receive out of our wallets. This coming year, tax district officials were … Continue reading
The table above shows the seventeen townships in McHenry County, the number of appeals for this tax year (2011 assessments, taxes to be collected in 2012), the total number of real estate parcels, plus the percentage of appeals from each … Continue reading
Read the following press release carefully and you will see that McHenry County College’s Board voted to leave no pocket unpicked as it instructed the McHenry County Clerk to maximize its tax take. The maximum increase the Property Tax Cap … Continue reading
The Tax Foundation has some remarkable work comparing property tax burdens across the United States. Want to know what part of the country to look at for retirement, if cutting your property taxes is one of your goals? Take a … Continue reading
Giving the public more information was the idea behind the heavy black bordered ads placed by tax districts who are increasing their levies by more than 5%. This decade, “transparency” is the word. The ads were a campaign gimmick by … Continue reading
Real estate assessments will be published in the Northwest Herald Wednesday. I don’t know what the news stand price is, but the price for the insert is $2.50 after Wednesday, as I understand it. There’s about a month in which … Continue reading
It was the late 1960’s or early 1970’s when I heard or read State Rep. CL McCormick of Vienna coin the word “taxeater.” I think it was when WBBM was running an evening Illinois House session live. I admit to … Continue reading
A press release from State Rep. Kent Gaffney reveals that State Rep. Jack Franks’ bill to rein in the taxeaters when down in flames today in the Illinois House. So much for my predictive ability from 200 miles away. I … Continue reading
That’s “firework.” Singular. In order to give cover to House Democrats who voted to hike state income taxes by 67%, House Speaker Mike Madigan is going to allow Jack Franks to have the spotlight one day this week. One bill. … Continue reading
Yesterday I saw Jack Franks and his father Herb in their Marengo law office, where I was waiting for a friend to complete an appointment. Jack didn’t pause to shake hands, but his father, whom I met while I was … Continue reading
A press release from Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore: Residents of Grafton Township now have the ability to show the members of the township board how they would cast their vote regarding the township tax levies for the Township and … Continue reading
Real estate tax burdens were the topic of State Rep. candidate Dave McSweeney’s third direct mail piece. The text reads, It’s a sign of the times… Property taxes skyrocketing, even as home values go down. Illinois workers searching for jobs … Continue reading
No doubt which side of the taxpayer Downstate Republican State Representative Roger Eddy is on. It’s not the taxpayers’. This is the legislator who wanted to loosen the Real Estate Tax Cap in the early 2000’s in order to allow … Continue reading
“We want more!” might be the motto of the McHenry County Council of Governments, a taxpayer-supported local meeting ground of local officials, elected and appointed. The McCOG group’s Executive Director has sent out the following email in opposition to State … Continue reading
Not only are townships and municipalities using taxpayer dollars to lobby against the interests of their taxpayers, so are school boards. And they are all paying for their lobbying with taxpayer-financed dues. Read what is posted on the Illinois Association … Continue reading
Not only the Township Officials of Illinois, but the more powerful Illinois Municipal League has lined up against State Rep. Jack Franks’ bill to keep property taxes constant in years when real estate assessments are declining. Under the way that … Continue reading
A Jack Franks’ bill that would prevent most local governments from getting more money in year two than they did in year one if real estate assessments are declining flew out of the House Revenue Committee 6-1 Tuesday. There is … Continue reading
