New Chief Financial Officer of MCC Bob Tenuta offered up a levy increase half of his predecessor’s 9.99%.
Tenuta suggested 4.99%–just 1/100 of a percentage point below the 5% figure above which tax districts have to publish their greed in a heavy black-bordered box in local newspapers and hold a public hearing.
The Property Tax Cap allows all tax district to pry whatever was the increase in the Cost of Living in the previous year.
That inflation figure is 1.7% for next year’s tax calculations.
Three Board members–Chris Jenner, Molly Walsh and Tom Wilbeck–expressed their surprise and displeasure at this “tax to the max” approached.
Those attending last Tuesday’s McHenry County College Board Committee of the Whole meeting.
Tenuta defended his recommendation that 3.29% high in the levy above the increase in the CPI by saying that he wanted to capture all the new growth.
An argument can be made for going after the new construction that has occurred the year before, but, if the amount selected is too high and the tax district board decides that it really doesn’t want to take more money out of existing taxpayers’ pockets, then any amount above that of new growth will just raise the taxes of those already living here.
After the meeting, I asked Tenuta about his estimate for new growth. He would not provide me with figures, saying it was too early.
So, I asked the Supervisor of Assessments. He agreed with Tenuta that it was too early.
So, I asked veteran Algonquin Township Assessor Bob Kunz, a man who is my nominee for ideal public servant.
He sent me numbers from last year that he pulled off the McHenry County Clerk’s web site.
New growth last year was $33,874,948 for McHenry County College.
What was the total assessed valuation?
$7,132,386,072.
So that means new growth was less than a half of one percent.
Certainly nowhere near the 3.29% suggested by the Chief Financial Officer.
Kunz provided more information.
“Check out the last ten years for MCC, from the levy/extension reports on the county clerk’s website. You can see that even pre-recession new numbers didn’t get to 5%:
Year New
2012 0.5%
2011 0.4
2010 0.5
2009 1.1
2008 1.6
2007 2.3
2006 3.2
2005 3.8
2004 4.2
2003 4.3
My suggestions is that these numbers be provided to the MCC Board at this Thursday night’s meeting.
A BIG Thank You to Bob Kunz for truly understanding what all of us should be trying to achieve as an elected official (servant).
True answers to questions when asked.
How can Bob Tenuta ask for MORE without researching needs, rationalizing these needs to achieve agreed upon goals, and understanding the affect on the taxpayer and their ability to pay.
This Ready, Fire, Aim approach must stop by all of our government entities.
Trustee Chris Jenner asked Tenuta FOUR TIMES why he chose 4.99% before Tenuta finally admitted that at 5% MCC had to put a big, black-bordered ad in the paper advertising the levy increase.
This clear refusal to provide Trustees with complete and honest information diminishes Tenuta’s trustworthiness to zero.
How valuable is an employee that you don’t trust?
Having attended some of these meetings over the years, I have found Kisser and Smith to be out of touch with reality.
Living in a bubble where they create their own reality.
Wasn’t one of their award winning grads giving people “the finger” in a parade where there were more children and families than you can count?
Was it a good use of tax money for that person to be in a full page ad by the college??
What about the children?
Last year’s 9.9% levy was not from Mr. Tenuta’s predecessor. Mr. Tenuta advanced and supported it himself.
See page 2 – 3 of the minutes from the Nov 29, 2012, Committee of the Whole meeting — http://www.mchenry.edu/board/12_13/minutes/112912cotw.pdf.
BTW, the picture in this article is from the July 19 Special (not Committee of the Whole) Board meeting, called so the Board could properly approve purchase of a new ceramics lab ventilating system.