Interrupt Summer to Urge Governor to Veto Tax Hiking House Bill 5529

Tax House with bills flyingWoodstock watchdog Susan Handelsman offers the following warning about a really bad bill:

Every taxpayer should contact Governor to protest House Bill 5529.

It allows schools to levy excess accumulation in transportation fund for express purpose of transfer to Gen Ed Fund (= deliberate circumvention of statutory taxpayer protections).

[For more details read,

A Bill That Threatens Property Owners

Please voice your opinion to Governor, to stop HB5529. Below is my own letter to Governor’s office.

Please do not sign HB 5529, which makes a mockery of any last shred of protection homeowner taxpayers have under the law.

In Woodstock, property tax rate is 4.6% of total home value (13.8% of EAV).

Almost everyone vote this bad bill.  Jack Franks is the only local legislator who did not.

Almost everyone vote this bad bill. Jack Franks is the only local legislator who did not.

Do you understand what this does to property values?

Do you understand that the median income household in Woodstock must pay over 12% of household income just in property taxes on a median value home (national average is 3.6%)?

Do you understand that the extraordinary property tax rate of 4.6% makes it impossible for median income mortgage applicants to qualify for a conventional home loan…and the impact that disqualification has on the pool of potential buyers for local real estate?

The Senate roll call on House Bill 5529.

The Senate roll call on House Bill 5529.  Locally, Pam Althoff and Dan McConchievvoted against it.

Woodstock CUSD 200 is strip-mining this town like Bell California, and there is something you can do about it: uphold the law.

The school code says schools must limit profligate spending within discretely defined accounts.

HB5529 destroys that limitation by allowing inter-fund transfers at the whim of the extortioners.

Governor, stop talking about how you want to help, and do something concrete to help us.

Veto this bill.


Comments

Interrupt Summer to Urge Governor to Veto Tax Hiking House Bill 5529 — 7 Comments

  1. Does anybody know what the best email address would be to contact the governor about this bill ?

  2. Use his page. You can click off which issue you are writing about and you can add your comments.

    Really super easy.

    But you have to fill in all your info.

  3. Thanks for the link, Joe.
    Jeez, this state is so maddeningly messed up.

  4. I am sure, that the bulk of the yea voters don’t live in Woodstock, IL.

    This is a typical easy way out response.

    What about equality?

    Are they just BS idle words?

    WE talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

    Typical.

    Request to VETO the Tax Hiking House Bill 5529

  5. Another accounting gimmick amongst a long line of accounting gimmicks at the state and local levels.

    Existing school district fund transfers receive little to no reporting and analysis.

    There is another public school related problem.

    Many school districts in Illinois are deficit spending.

    And, many school districts need state money by August to open on time this fall.

    Couple those together with the state budget standoff, and the special interest groups and politicians, notably Mr. Madigan and Mr. Cullerton, and the Democrats, have a lever to use for more taxpayer money with little to no reigning in past excesses via the Turnaround Agenda or any reform.

    As of right now, there is no state law in place that will get General State Aid to school districts by August, so either a law will be passed, or some school districts will not open, or there are other possibilities.

    Senate Bill 2990 (SB 2990) is a public education (not college or university, just Kindergarten – 12th grade) only budget bill sponsored by State Senator John Cullerton and State Representative Michael Madigan that did not pass the House.

    SB 2048 is a complete state budget bill
    sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton and State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie that passed the House but not the Senate.

    Some school districts could do various forms of borrowing, such as tax anticipation warrants, or issue working cash bonds, there are many otions, and each school district’s situation is unique.

    Funding to allow schools to open on time during the budget standoff is the latest Democrat tactic to spend without scaling back past legislation which has resulted in ever higher property taxes.

    Spend and hike taxes with little to no reform is their mantra.

    State money for schools, and the proposed re-allocation of state funding amongst school districts, are topics that will appear in the November 8, 2016 General Election and school board elections the spring of 2017.

    Some defecit spending districts will have referendums the spring of 2017.

    It is getting uglier and uglier for the taxpayer, with pension and retiree helthcare hiking legislation over the past 46 together with money diverted from pensions to current salary hikes and current benefit hikes resulting in ever more money going to pensions and retiree healthcare instead of educating children.

    The dysfunctional irresponsible legislation and and local board decisions combined over the last 46 years are taking their toll.

    Especially if you have children in public schools now is the time to start educating yourself on these issues.

    In the name of educating children one result has been to indebt those children who remain in the state as future taxpayers.

    Accounting games have resulted in hidden current costs not being reported as current costs or funded by current revenues.

    Hide and seek, kick the can, catch me if you can.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *