The County is about 10% of a property tax bill of a property within a municipality.

Cutting property taxes of such a parcel thus results in a savings of 10% of 10%, which is 1%.

++++++

Next, the County portion of a McHenry County property tax bill consists of 3 line items:

– McHenry County

– McHenry County Pension

– McHenry County Consv (McHenry County Conservation District)

++++++

Any line item on a property tax bill in Illinois stating “pension” refers to the IMRF pension fund.

IMRF = Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

As a side note, police, fire, and teacher / administrator pensions (TRS) are not included in the pension line items on property tax bills.

++++++

Since they didn’t say otherwise, presumably the Pension line items on property tax bills are included in the Cut 10 commitment from Jack Franks and John Bartman.

Is there a way to cut pension contributions from property taxing districts to IMRF?

There is, if IMRF agrees.

It happened after the mortgage meltdown crisis of 2007 – 2008.

IMRF offered taxing districts an option to contribute less.

But, would Jack Franks and John Bartman advocate such a practice?

Doubtful.

Their union supporters and contributors probably would not support such a measure.

So other items would have to be cut to compensate for pensions which are not cut.

++++++

Cut 10 is an election gimmick.

It exceeds the scope of the County Board Chair, the County Board, and the County.

Nowhere does it explicitly say, or is it implied, that the scope of the County is to influence other taxing districts.

That would require a change to County Board policy.

Is Jack Franks going to propose such a policy.

Even if he did, the County Board Members would have to vote on such a policy.

How likely is it the 24 County Board Members would vote yes for such a policy?

An elected official should have enough to keep busy with the matters of their own taxing district, much less the matters of other taxing districts.

Nothing was said by Jack Franks, John Bartman, or anyone else leading up to, or after (until the current election cycle) the March 18, 2014 referendum which created the County Board Chair position, that the County Board Chair position should be involved in influencing policy on every single property taxing district in McHenry County.

Jack Franks was a major proponent of the March 18, 2014 County Board Chair referendum.

+++++

Bait and Switch.

Jack Franks baited voters into creating the County Board Chair position on March 18, 2014.

Jack Franks did not say at that time he thought the County Board Chair position should be used as a bully pulpit.

The Northwest Herald reported on June 6, 2014, that Jack Franks said, he would not run for County Board Chair in 2016 (at the time Jack Franks was recommending the County place two advisory referendums on the November 4, 2014 ballot).

Now, the County Board Chair position has been created, Jack Franks is running for the position, and advocating that the County Board Chair position be used as a bully pulpit.

+++++

Who are the members of the Northwest Herald editorial board?

Members of the editorial board are editors, and not reporters.

But which editors?

All editors?

Some editors?

Here are the Northwest Herald Editors:

Dan McCaleb – Executive Editor

Kevin Lyons – News Editor

Scott Helmchen – Managing Editor for Production and Design

H Rick Bamman – Photo Editor

Jon Styf – Sports Editor

Nicole Franz – Web Editor

Valerie Katzenstein – Features Editor

Jami Kunzer Entertainment Editor

Susan Kane-Parker – Neighbors Editor

Barb Grant – Editorial Assistant / Calendar Editor

+++++

It seems unlikely all those editors endorse political candidates.

So exactly who at the Northwest Herald endorses the political candidates?

Dan McCaleb is definitely one.

Kevin Lyons is almost certainly a second.

Who else?

Or ‘oars member’ – board member! (Damn autocorrect)

Predicted or not, this is still DISGUSTING !
😵 👎 😣 👎 😒