McHenry County Blog

Take a look at these comments, which were under the article about Jim Tobin’s court suit against the Toll Tax hike:

Cindy says:

This was a really stupid move.

I don’t know anyone that uses the tollway anymore.

People cannot afford this robbery. Now they get ZERO dollars because they got greedy.

Jim says:

I always listen to the traffic report and the old “20-30 minute travel times” are now “traffic is flowing nicely.”

They basically took away our roads away from us by increasing the costs.

With the insanely high gas tax one would think that there would be sufficient funds there to fill a non-corrupt budget.

I guess the corruption needs some serious cash!

A press release from Jim Tobin:

TAXPAYERS TRY TO STOP LISA MADIGAN’S “HIGHWAY ROBBERY”

CHICAGO–Plaintiffs against the Ill. State Toll Highway Authority filed an amended complaint today in Cook County Circuit Court. Plaintiffs consist of James L. Tobin, Christina Marie Tobin, Kenneth Malo, John Guild, Rae Ann McNeilly, Paul Cassidy, Glenn Westphal and Carol Westphal.

Plaintiffs are seeking a Declaratory Judgment, injunctive relief, and redress for the violation of their civil rights by the defendants pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983, et seq. The Authority raised cash tolls by approximately 90% as of January 1.

Representing the Authority is the office of Ill. Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan (D), daughter of Chicago machine boss and Ill. House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D).

“What Lisa Madigan is getting away with is nothing less than highway robbery,” said plaintiff James Tobin.

The amended complaint included the following points:

• The Commission was created by an act of the Illinois General Assembly as an instrumentality and administrative agency of the State of Illinois in 1953. On October 25, 1955, the Tollway Commission adopted a resolution authorizing a single series of bonds aggregating $415,000,000 to finance the construction of what it described as “The Northern Illinois Toll Highway,” which was to consist of three separate routes.
• In its first full year of operation the annual toll revenues collected amounted to $14,536,000. Since 2000, the Tollway has collected nearly $9 Billion ($8,621,360,000) in toll revenues from the users of its toll highways. The majority of that amount was collected from the three routes where the revenue bonds were already paid.
• 

  Jim Tobin

  The Tollway has indicated it now has some 13 series of outstanding bonds, with an aggregate total of over $4 Billion ($4,066,675,000) and with at least one series of those bonds not maturing until January 1, 2034. It continues to issue bonds without giving due consideration to the intent of the legislature that the Tollway should dissolve when the original bonds were repaid.

“Rather than paying off the tollway bonds and disbanding, the overpaid administrators keep issuing new bonds, so that the bonds of the authority never get paid off as the Ill. Legislature intended,” said Tobin. “This way the bureaucrats, tollway employees and politically-connected contractors rake in the dough year after year.”

Illinois Toll Taxes went up 88% yesterday, so I went looking for any mention that Democratic Party Governor Pat Quinn had been given responsibility for it.

The anonymous Illinois Toll Highway Authority Board members took the heat.

The photo in the article is of a toll booth worker, who said she didn’t take any abuse either.

Is Governor Quinn going to be a Teflon governor?

The preferred routes to southeastern McHenry County may change for cheapskates like me when they drive to and from Chicago.

That’s because the Pat Quinn Administration’s tolls at the Route 31 Exit will almost double from 40 cents to 75 cents, if one goes all the way to Randall Road, as we usually do.

80 cents to get from Chicago to Crystal Lake under Governor Rod Blagojevich’s tolls…if one rented an I-PASS.  (I consider interest on the mandatory deposit “rent.”)

$1.50 under Blagojevich successor Pat Quinn.

Tolls at Barrington Road, however, will “only” be 45 cents. It’s now 25 cents now, so I could save 20 cents a trip.

There the increase is only a 44% one, not 88%.

Since 45 cents is less than 75 cents, that’s the exit I’ll be taking.

For regular commuters, the savings would be about $80 a year for driving through Barrington Hills on Route 62, also known as Algonquin Road.

When the Skinner family drives to the Wisconsin Dells, we’ll drive up Route 14 to Harvard and across to the Wisconsin freeway.

That will save $2.45 both ways using I-PASS, assuming we would otherwise enter on at Route 20 south of Marengo, as we often have, and assuming I’m reading the doubled fee structure correctly.

Enough for another glass of wine…which is better than whining about the rip-off we call the Illinois Tollway.

= = = = =
It’s hard to think about the Illinois Tollways without remembering that none of the Motor Fuel Taxes charged by state government go to defray toll taxes. Instead the approximately $110 million a year in MFT is diverted to state highway purposes.

Somewhere in the vicinity of 45% comes back to the six-county Chicagoland, while it has about 56% of the vehicles and traffic.

Obviously, a Downstate rip-off.

It also should be remembered that local Republican leaders did not oppose the Toll Tax hike. It was hard to find Republican opposition anywhere…except yours truly.

A press release from Jim Tobin’s Taxpayers United of America:

No thanks, Lisa!
A Madigan Christmas gift: 90% Toll-Tax Increase on January 1st!!!

December 20, 2011: Judge Rita Novak, of the Cook County Circuit Court, granted Lisa Madigan’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit that would have stopped the January 1st toll/tax increase.

The suit, brought by Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America, (“TUA”), also sought Court declarations that the Tollway Authority is required by law to convert all toll highways to freeways, and to dissolve itself. Lisa Madigan had those parts of the lawsuit also dismissed.

Many have called the TUA offices to join the class action against the Tollway.

“Everyone knows, except Lisa Madigan, that we were supposed to be toll free in 1973,” Jim Tobin said.

Madigan’s “gift” comes on top of the news that the typical American family will have spent $4,155 filling up the car this year, which is a record.

Madigan’s “gift” also comes at a time when unemployment in Illinois is 10%. Just how hard the 90% toll tax increase will hit struggling Illinois families and businesses, remains to be seen.

The plaintiffs were given permission to file an amended complaint within 28 days. Alternatively, they could appeal within 30 days. The next court date, to advise the Judge which route the plaintiffs have chosen, is set for February 7, 2012 at 10:00a.m. in Room 2402 of the Richard J. Daley Center.

See you in court on February 7th!

A press release from Jim Tobin’s Taxpayers United of America:

COURT TO RULE ON GIANT TOLL TAX INCREASE DECEMBER 20TH

December 20, 2011: Judge Rita Novak, of the Cook County Circuit Court, will hear arguments to stop the impending January 1st toll tax increase.

Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America, (“TUA”), has filed suit to:

1. stop the increase
2. order the Tollway Authority to comply with the law that requires it to convert toll highways into freeways and
3. dissolve the Tollway Authority itself.

The suit also challenges the doubling of tolls for cash users, and seeks permission to proceed as a class action on behalf of all tollway users. The December 20th hearing will decide whether the Circuit Court of Cook County will permit the Tollway Authority to virtually double tolls and to convert the Elgin-O’Hare Freeway into a toll highway.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office is representing the Tollway. She has asked the court to throw out Tobin’s case in its entirety.

“We are prepared to file an appeal if Madigan convinces the judge to throw out the case,” stated Tobin. “The law is clear and we will continue to fight for millions of taxpayers affected by this blatant disregard for the law.”

The hearing will be held at 10:30 a.m. in Room 2402 of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602.

For more information visit TaxpayersUnitedofAmerica.org. For press inquiries, please contact Jim Tobin (773) 354-2076 or (312) 427-5128.

The Wisconsin State Journal isn’t satisfied with the economic shot in the pocket book that Illinois tourists and students bring to its state’s economy.

It wants more of Illinois residents’ shrinking family income.

The Skinner family was in the Wisconsin Dells at the three water park Wilderness Territory.

I read some interesting depositions and finished up a novel on England’s King Alfred.

And, I handed my credit card to numerous Wisconsin establishments.

Now, the liberals who editorialize to the socialist City of Madison and spread their opinions free of charge (very ideologically pure that paper is) to the resort’s visitors are calling on Congress to allow any state to turn four- or six-lane highways into tollways.

Just like Illinois.

In fact, the illustration in the editorial is a photo of toll lanes in Illinois.

If there is any doubt as to the target of this suggestion, read the following:

“An our neighbors to the south–all those Illinois tourists who flock to Wisconsin on weekends and throughout the summer–would contribute to the cost.”

I guess no one should be surprised that no local media took a poll on whether people wanted tolls hiked.

Chicago’s Mike Engle took on Governor Pat Quinn’s assertion that 85% of Illinois motorists understood and approved of the need to double the tolls.

“Doubting the accuracy of statements that are made by our governor and other public officials, I conducted my own impromptu poll,” Engle wrote in a letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times published Sunday.

“Thursday afternoon, I went to my local tavern and asked the first 20 patrons who entere3d if they supported a proposition to double the tolls on the Illinois State Toll Highway system.

“My polling numbers, surprisingly, matched that of our governor’s, but the results were transposed.

“The vote tally was as follows:

• Yes 3 (15%)
• No 17 (85%)

And I thought it was only suburbanites who were disturbed.

I have been astonished at the silence from local Republican leaders about Pat Quinn’s 88% Toll Tax Hike.

Yesterday I got an email from the McHenry County Board.

Right at the top is a letter from McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler about the “toll increase.”

Read it as tell me what you see.

Dear McHenry County Resident:

This week, the Illinois Tollway Authority approved a toll increase to offset the cost of a $12 billion capital plan. The rate increase is scheduled to be in effect January 1, 2012 and will bump the fee I-Pass users pay at mainline tolls from $0.40 to $0.75.

While a toll increase is never desirable, it will fund a capital plan that will have a positive impact on McHenry County (the most populous County in the United States without an exit directly onto an interstate).

The capital plan will fund construction projects that will put many hard working Illinois citizens back to work.

One of these projects funded by the capital plan is the construction of a full interchange at I-90/Rt. 47 in Huntley. The construction of east/west on and off ramps will spur economic development in McHenry County by allowing increased accessibility to all we have to offer!

Sincerely,

Kenneth D. Koehler, County Board Chairman

Well, what do you think?

Well, you know by now, the Tollway Board voted 7-1 to hike Toll Taxes 88%.

I heard it on WBBM right before noon.

Just the Commissioners and staff had to get the meeting over so they could go to lunch.

Because WBBM was doing national news, I switched to WGN and heard that the toll hike was 87%.

It’s really 87.4%.

I don’t know about you, but I learned to round up, not down.

Back to hear what WBBM would say after national feed, I discovered the news reader saying the tolls had almost doubled.

So, let’s recap this process.

In what the news media call the “dog days of summer,” the Illinois Tollway Authority proposes even a bigger percentage tax hike that the Democrats 67% income tax hike, passed by in a lame duck session.

Newspaper readers learn about the proposal on Friday, July 29th.

Hearings are held when lots of folks are on vacation or even, heaven forbid, enjoying the great outdoors.

And, less that 30 days later, a forever increase in Toll Taxes is imposed by an appointed board.

If there were sounds of protest from suburban Republican legislators, whose pockets will be picked every weekday, I didn’t notice them.