Yingling Makes Second Attempt at Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

PRESS CONTACT: Emily Miller, emconsulting.miller@gmail.com, 773-203-9654

ROUND LAKE BEACH– Representative Sam Yingling sent a letter to Governor Rauner requesting a meeting and urging him to sign SB2544. The bill has been on Governor Rauner’s desk for over a month and puts a binding question on the ballot in November to let the people decide whether the position of Lake County Chief County Assessment Office, the Lake County Assessor, should be popularly elected instead of being appointed by the Chairman of the Lake County Board.

“Right now, the position of Lake County Assessor is appointed by the Chairman of the County Board,” said Yingling. “Unlike other collar counties, the Chairman of the Lake County Board is not elected at large, but is elected by the people of their district, then nominated to serve as chair by other board members. Appointments can be the ultimate prize in political gamesmanship, and with our property tax system in crisis, it’s important that the person whose decisions impact how much my constituents pay is accountable to my constituents —not the politically connected.”

Last month Yingling sent Governor Rauner over one thousand petition signatures from his constituents in support of SB2544HA1. In addition, the Governor received thousands of phone calls from Lake County property taxpayers urging him to sign the bill.

“Lake County is uniquely situated, paying some of the highest property taxes in the country. It’s clear that our property tax system is broken,” concluded Yingling. “Anything short of Governor Rauner’s signature on this bill will deny the taxpayers of Lake County their right to vote this November to make the property tax system accountable to them.”

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