That is interesting and thanks to the gentleman who put it together.
School Districts are the largest portion of property taxes.
The way your typical, not every, school district Board operates is once a year to increase property tax revenue by the maximum amount allowable by law.
Everything else is jumping through hoops, ringing bells, and blowing whistles so the school district gets heir money.
So in most districts the only way to control school district property taxes is get a group of people together and attend school board meetings and educate yourself on how to convince the School Board to reign in costs.
But that’s only 1/2 the battle because school districts and their employees receive massive subsidies from the State of Illinois in the form of pension contributions and early retirement healthcare (TRIP / THIS), plus other goodies.
The same goes with State Employees, University Employees, Judges, and State Reps and Senators and Governors.
Which would require a statewide taxpayer group to lobby lawmakers.
Since taxpayers are not effectively organized to pay off legislators with campaign contributions and votes, the taxpayers are getting slaughtered.
Worse yet, since lawmakers and politicians at the local and State level are so good at Hide and Seek and Kick the Can, taxpayers have IOU’s that at best can only be estimated.
$100 Billion IOU (unfunded liability) for State Pensions.
$50 Billion IOU (unfunded liability) for State Healthcare (much of it early retiree healthcare since most retire before being eligible for Medicare).
Plus local Police and Fire IOU (unfunded liability for Pensions.
Police and Fire benefits are determined by state law but are funded from local property taxes.
A typical police and fire pension contribution I’ve been told is 30% of salary.
That varies by police and fire department, since if the pension is underfunded due to investment loss or whatever other reason the contribution would have to increase.
Not sure the extent that Police and Fire Healthcare exists or is underfunded.
The IOU is typically blamed on the Taxing District not making it’s required contribution.
Left unsaid is the 40 years of pension benefit hiking laws that jacked up the required pension contributions.
State Politicians and Governors are responsible for those pension hiking laws.
Pension hiking laws took off like a jet airplane after one sentence was added to the Illinois State Constitution in 1970.
“Membership in any pension or retirement system of the
State, any unit of local government or school district, or
any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.”
There is nothing in that sentence that limits increasing pension benefits.
So pension benefits were increased by State Lawmakers and Governors.
In 1971.
1972.
1973.
And 38 of 40 years from 1971 – 2011.
The Forty Year War against taxpayers not receiving a pension whose benefits are determined by state lawmakers otherwise known as the State of Illinois Pension Massacre.
The victims were taxpayers not receiving a pension that could be manipulated by lawmakers.
The victors were Lawmakers, Governors, and Special Interest groups that receive a pension that could be manipulated by lawmakers.
The Special Interest Groups did not get or want your scalp, they got something more desirable in the modern era, your money.
And their weapon of choice was House Bills, Senate Bills, and Public Acts, plus a healthy does of marketing to dupe the taxpayers not receiving these pensions.
Their ain’t no one dumber or more gullible than an Illinois Taxpayer.

Property values are way down…..local tax rate sky high and increasing every year!!!!!!

How do you appeal that?!!!! …ugh…

My husband hasn’t had a pay raise in ten years, but thankful he still has a job yet everyone in my county gets a raise…..and we don’t even have streetlights in our little subdivision.

Been here 11 yrs and we finally have street signs but no streetlights!

They will tax us out of our homes, then what will they do when all of the homes are empty?

Who voted for the 708 Board?

Who voted for the Senior Tax?

Who voted for the Valley Hi additional tax?

Who voted for the Conservation District Bonds?

These items were not approved by the County Board.

They were approved directly by the voters.

Now that we have an economic downturn, it is time to blame the elected officials?

Hunker down Dave, you’re to late.

My mortgage company just sent me an updated payment starting October 1st, 2016.

Thanks Algonquin Township & McHenry County you have taken $600 more a month out of our families pocket for property taxes.

By the way, quit blaming the schools.

This year the itemized list of increases were across the board.

Amazing not one department saved any money this year!

This contribution is from just the increase of my single family home for 2015.

A 26% increase in property tax for 2015!

Honestly who thought our house jumped $100,000 in value in 2015 alone, WT#$%@!!!!!

If I add this up per our population of the township/county they should have a significant surplus.

When you throw that success party with all that extra cash send me an invite!

Make sure the 9 ladies filing their nails in the library come as well.

It is amazing that not once have we have seen a move to actually save money and reduce taxes.

Instead you take more so you can spend more.

If bonuses were based on the amount of money you did not spend…….

Hiring a team of attorneys for this nonsense!

Mink Trail, Why?

Using the bigger extension figure from 2015, which is $823,699,731, returns the same result.

Overall property tax extensions for McHenry County increases less than 1% from 2014 to 2015.

++++

Percentage increase formula:

[(new number – original number) / original number] x 100

Assessors are required to pass a series of tests.

Meaning, the assessment process is far from simple.

The McHenry County Treasurers website has a property tax lookup section that lists taxes for each parcel.

https://www.co.mchenry.il.us/county-government/departments-j-z/treasurer

I was really thinking of buying a house in mchenery ,,is it really that bad with the taxes

The reason McHenry and Woodstock homes are so cheap is that the property tax RATES are so high.
4% of fair market value vs. Chicago rates around 2%, rates all over America average 1.2%.

Every year, the home in Woodstock and McHenry loses value as a function of tax rate capitalization.

That is, the “cost-of-carry” to own a home is at least DOUBLE that in all other communities which provide similar social services (schools, police, fire, etc.).

This makes the property worth less every year.

It becomes a negative feedback loop in that it is throwing good money after bad to fix up a home or even pay a mortgage when home is underwater, so homes here become neglected and foreclosed, further devaluing properties in these neighborhoods.

After reading all these comments, I’ve decoded not to even bother checking out the retirement community in Woodstock.

We already live in a high tax area of Illinois.

Am looking to lower our expenses not increase them!