The McHenry County Legislative Committee will make a second run at securing support for Pam Althoff and Karen McConnaughay’s tax hike bills for the McHenry County Conservation District Thursday.

The meeting is at 8:30 AM in the Administrative Building.

On the agenda under “Old Business” is the following:

1. Resolution Authorizing the Recommendation of Support for the McHenry County Conservation District Amendment to the Conservation District Act (70 ILCS 410) through Senate Bill (SB) 3341
2. Resolution Authorizing the Recommendation of Support for the McHenry County Conservation District Amendment to the Conservation District Act (70 ILCS 410) Through Senate Bill (SB) 3342

Mike Tryon is sponsoring the bills in the Illinois House.

They are both in subcommittees.

Members of the Legislative Committee who will have another chance to increase their reputations as tax hikers are

• John Jung, Chairman, up for re-election this year
• Ken Koehler, Vice Chairman and a former member of the MCCD Board and McHenry County Conservation Foundation Board
• Nick Chirikos, up for re-election this year
• Carolyn Schofield, liaison to the MCCD Board
• Nick Provenzano
• Bob Martens
• Ersel Schuster

Articles on this attempt to raise McHenry County real estate taxes:

• Revised, Althoff-McConnaughay Bill Could Allow Basic Conservation District Tax Rate to Increase 25%, But Only with Voter Approval
• Althoff Lobbying County Board for MCCD Tax Hike Support
• Althoff Reports Citizen Opposition to Tax Hikes
• Althoff-McConnaughay Bill to Allow MCCD 50% Tax Hike with Referendum Passes 46-0
• Money That Should Have Been MCCD’s Used to Finance 2007 $73 Million, 27% Tax Hike Campaign
• Althoff Passed Bill for Conservation District to Sell Non-Referendum Bonds 48-0

You might want to read the final article to which I have linked.  It tells how the Conservation District managed to get its last two multi-million bond referendums passed.

And, perhaps also of interest, is that the MCCD Board has been cooperating with the Foundation, whose board members it appoints, since last year to raise McHenry County taxes.

The Foundation has taken a poll, much as it did in at least one previous referendum campaign.

Evidence?

Look below:

Brad Semel writes on the email’s subject line:

“Tried to incorporate the statements found to be most critical by the polling for the referendum”

Below is the following:

Vision as Drafted

Protect and enhance acquisition of the natural resources of McHenry County.

Proposed New Vision

Dedicated to preserving and enhancing the natural resources of McHenry County for the benefit and enjoyment of all residents, present and future.

Mission as drafted

Provides resources for the McHenry County Conservation District and its partners to accomplish the vision.

Proposed new mission

To support the  mission and vision of the McHenry County Conservation District by facilitation land acquisition, watershed protection, and preservation of open space.

Related was a comment that McHenry County Board member Nick Provenzano made during the MCCD budget approval discussion.

State law gives the County Board up or down authority over the Conservation District budget. No amendments are allowed.

One year negative comments were made about the MCCD having given its employees raises higher than county employees received.

The next year, the raises of both governing bodies were parallel.

Commenting on this coming year’s budget, Provenzano said, “You can take the time to congratulate them for spending all the money the taxpayers gave them.”

Then, moving onto next year’s budget he observed,

“We will have an opportunity to approve a budget [that contains] bonding without voter input.

“What are we going to do with that option?”

Provenzano may have identified a fall campaign issue.