Crystal Lake Library Board Member Rebutts Steve Willson’s Critique

To set this up, here’s Lakewood’s Steve Willson’s observations concerning the deminishing patronage of the Crystal Lake Public Library: Orginally, from Lakewood resident Steve Wilson: Crystal Lake Library Annual Statistical Report Crystal Lake Library recently mailed its “Annual Report” to … Continue reading

How Affordable Housing Works

A letter to the Northwest Herald, reprinted with permission of its author, Steve Willson: Affordable Housing My Foot! Regarding the recent story in the Northwest Herald (Woodstock’s Prairie View Apartment Community Changes Hands; February 12, 2019). I’ve been in the municipal bond … Continue reading

Comparing Illinois Property Taxes with Household Income

Reprinted with permission: Illinois’ Lethal Combination: Rising Property Taxes & Stagnant Incomes Authored by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner via WirePoints.com, A lethal combination of rising property taxes and stagnant incomes has forced many Illinoisans to rethink their relationship with … Continue reading

Bond Retirement Allows Fox River Grove to Cut Real Estate Taxes, Partially Offset by Hike to Fund Police Pensions

A press release from the Village of Fox River Grove: Village Property Taxes Will Reduce 7% Fox River Grove property owners will pay less in taxes to the Village during calendar year 2019. The Village Board adopted an $18,882 (2.1%) … Continue reading

Crystal Lake Public Library Circulation Down Precipitously in Last Nine Years

From Lakewood resident Steve Wilson: Crystal Lake Library Annual Statistical Report Crystal Lake Library recently mailed its “Annual Report” to all the families in Crystal. It has lots of pictures and graphics showing statistics on usage for the fiscal year … Continue reading

Seven Resign from IEA Union at CL High School District 155, Will Get More Take-Home Pay; Tax Meeting at 6

In the Crystal Lake High School District 155 Board packet for Tuesday’s meeting are September letters from seven employees telling the District to stop taking union dues out of their paychecks. Details follow: Cary-Grove – Library Paraprofessional Prairie Ridge High … Continue reading

County Board Discussing Cutting Real Estate Tax Levy from $71.8 to $69.8 Million

The McHenry County Board put next year’s real estate tax levy at $69,848,422. That is a reduction from this year’s $71,839,610. Last year the levy was $79,424,610.97. The County Board reduced it by about 9.5%, but some County Board members continued … Continue reading

Pritzker Takes Heat on Toilet Removal (“Game of Thrones”) to Avoid Real Estate Taxes

$330,000 is about what billionaire and Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker saved by removing toilets from the mansion he bought next door to his mansion. Today, the paper that discovered the deception, the Chicago Sun-Times, has a delightful headline, … Continue reading

Is McHenry County Board Courting a Class Action Suit on Flat Rate $100 per Household Valley Hi Rebate?

Come October 16th the McHenry County Board will be voting on whether to draw down the incredible Valley Hi Nursing Home surplus of about $40 million by an amount equal to $100 per household. $8.8 million in checks would be … Continue reading

State Senate Candidates’ Night – Part 4 – Real Estate Taxes, Cap or Reduce, How Finance Schools & Libraries

Continuing coverage of the League of Women Voters Candidates’ Night for those seeking State Senate seat looking at answers to the question of whether property taxes should be capped or reduced and “how do you propose to help schools and libraries–two … Continue reading

Local Pensions Cause Huge Real Estate Tax Increases

An article by Austin Berg of  the Illinois Policy Institute: WHY YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL IS SO HIGH, AND HOW TO FIX IT Less than 50 cents of every additional property tax dollar over the last 20 years went to … Continue reading

Pensions and Property Taxes

An article by Austin Berg of  the Illinois Policy Institute: WHY YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL IS SO HIGH, AND HOW TO FIX IT Less than 50 cents of every additional property tax dollar over the last 20 years went to … Continue reading