Township Officials Lobby Warns of Tax Levy Freeze Bill

Here’s what the Township Officials of Illinois sent to members yesterday:


Urgent Legislative Alert

Memorandum

Memo To: Township Officials
From: Bryan E. Smith, Executive Director
Date: November 1, 2017
RE: Property Tax Freeze

URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT

As you know, both the House and Senate returned to Springfield last week for the first week of the Fall Veto Session. During the week a new property tax freeze proposal was filed in the House. Here is a Link to Senate Bill 851, House Amendment #1:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10000SB0851ham001&GA=100&SessionId=91&DocTypeId=SB&LegID=102353&DocNum=851&GAID=14&Session=

With the amendment, the bill does several things.

The main point is that, if passed, it would impose a two-year property tax freeze for 2017 and 2018 for local governmnents in Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage and Will Counties.

This would mean for those townships/road districts in those counties, this year and next year your extension limitation would be 0% unless voters approve an increase.

In all other counties outside of Cook and the Collar Counties, the amendment, if passed, would allow a county board to place a referendum on the ballot in 2018

to have a property tax freeze for all local governments within that county for 2018 and 2019; or

whether to have all local governments within the county subject to a property tax freeze for 2018 and 2019 AND then subject to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) for levy year 2020 and thereafter.

Lawmakers are in their Districts this week but this proposal is poised to move quickly.

A House Revenue Committee hearing is scheduled for this week where it is expected to pass out of committee and then could be voted upon in the full House and then the Senate immediately after next Tuesday, November 7th when they return to Springfield.

Because of this, it is important that you contact your State Representative(s) and Senator (s) this week at their district offices and ask them to OPPOSE SB 851.

Thank you for your help with this important legislative matter.


Comments

Township Officials Lobby Warns of Tax Levy Freeze Bill — 9 Comments

  1. Sounds like a winner to me, but it still does not go far enough.

    Property taxes should be capped @ 1% of homes assessed value as is done
    in Indiana.

    Big Government must be reduced in it’s size and brought under control
    and this is the way to do it.

    It works in other states and it will work in Illinois too.

  2. I hope this applies to school districts as well.

    And it does not go far enough

  3. Some McHenry Townships have actually lowered their levies.

    The problem area is the Road Districts who for the most part refused to lower or even freeze their levies.

    Solution?

    Eliminate the Road District via referendum.

    Which township will be the first?

  4. Q: Is ‘Conservative voter’ a township shill?

    Answer: YES!

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