Clock Running on Imposition of 1.5 Cent Tax Around Turnberry Lakes

The Lakewood Village Board voted 5-1 Tuesday night to allow a small 50-year tax the $55-56,000 annual proceeds of which will be spent to keep the lakes of Turnberry Subdivision clean and clear. This year a Special Service Area (SSA) … Continue reading

Crystal Lake Grade School District Asks Taxpayers’ Help to Fight Their Self-Interest

A email has been sent this morning soliciting parental opposition to State Rep. Jack Franks’ bill to prohibit the collection of more property tax dollars when assessments go down. Apparently Superintendent Donn Mendoza and School Board President Jeff Mason were … Continue reading

Message of the Day – Still More Crystal Lake City Council TIF Waste on Route 14

When I was over  at my state legislators’ offices Wednesday, I was complaining passionately about the way the Crystal lake City Council wasted money on changing the streetscape of part Route 14. That’s a term I first ran into in … Continue reading

No Financial Diet for McHenry County Next Year + The Tax Levy Game

There is widespread misunderstanding about the tax process. Today, we won’t look at the assessment part. Instead we will examine what tax districts do to pry more money out of our pockets. News stories talk about levies this time of … Continue reading

School Supt. State Rep. Roger Eddy Throws Wrench at Jack Franks’ Tax Cap Bill

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

Jack Franks’ Tax Limitation Bill Advances

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

How Real Estate Tax Rates Are Set – Tax Levies, Extensions and the Tax Cap

A comment from Allen Skillicorn to my article on the Sun City overlapping tax district inequities prompted an explanation of how tax rates are set by county clerks. Here is Skillicorn’s comment: With a 1 yr average, I assume the … Continue reading

School Districts Tax Rates Soar as Assessments Plunge

School districts take most of our property tax dollars. It is fair to compare unit districts to unit districts. These are how all schools were originally. During the run-up to the 1870 Constitutional Convention, there was tremendous borrowing by local … Continue reading