La Grange Tax Decision 'Dangerous Precedent'

LA GRANGE, IL – Despite warnings from two colleagues, the majority of La Grange trustees on Monday took a final vote in favor of taxing less than the maximum next year.

With their decision, La Grange's part of the property tax bill is set to go up 4.5 percent.

Trustees Beth Augustine and Glenn Thompson dissented. They argued the village should have increased the levy by 5 percent, the maximum allowed under state law.

"The towns that don't take the full levy tend to have car dealerships, gambling," Augustine said. "We are a well-managed town, but we are not an overly wealthy town that can easily afford not to take something like this."

She said it was a "dangerous precedent" not to take the full tax levy.

"With our costs going up in every sector, it's not something to dismiss lightly," Augustine said.

Thompson referred to a Patch story last week about Western Springs revealing that its road fund was depleted, so no major projects were planned for next year.

That story noted Western Springs' last successful referendum for roads passed seven years ago. Last year, Western Springs voters rejected a 1 percentage point increase to the sales tax to pay for infrastructure.

Thompson said it would be "very wrong" not to tax to the maximum.

"Anytime we're turning down quote-unquote free money, where money can be taken in taxes, that just leaves us to where we'll have to go to referendum to pay for these things," he said. "If the referendum fails, then we're going to have to explain to the citizens that we didn't take the taxes we could have in the past and that we left ourselves open."

Trustee Lou Gale, however, said the lower levy sends a message to taxpayers that the village is doing what it can to help.

Even at 4.5 percent, he said, the village understands it is making a big request.

"You can't just break off a piece of your property and sell it to pay the tax," Gale said. "It comes out of your income."

The board voted 4-2 for the 4.5 percent increase.

Village President Mark Kuchler, who is not allowed to vote in such cases, said he sided with the majority.