Tax increases and borrowing all over ballots in Illinois

By Andrew Nelms, Deputy Director, Americans for Prosperity, IL

It’s no wonder Illinois has the highest property taxes and some of the highest combined state and local sales tax rates in the country. One need look no further than the November 8th election for proof; fifty property tax hikes, $837 million in bonds & dozens of sales taxes. Hardly sounds like our most-in-the-nation local governments understand the plight of beleaguered Illinois taxpayers.

In many cases, most local governments must seek voter approval before levying new or increased taxes. 103 tax-related referenda will appear on ballots around the state that seek to implement a new tax, raise an existing tax or issue debt. Some of the questions are making their second, third, even fourth appearance after having been previously rejected.

For the seventh straight election, our Local Anti-Tax Initiative (LATI) will be raising awareness about these often overlooked questions and educating citizens as to their true cost. This, along with advocating for property tax freeze legislation in Springfield and training folks to be Citizen Watchdogs in their communities, is an integral part of our ongoing commitment to reducing our wildly out of control property taxes.

Local government bureaucrats can be a wily bunch when it comes to framing the narrative surrounding referenda. A Metro East property tax hike amounting to an average increase of $183 annually – a 25% hike – is billed as the “55¢ Tax” because the question seeks to raise the rate by $0.55 per $100 EAV. Residents of a Collar County park district are being assured that a $10.5 million bond issuance isn’t a tax hike, because new bonds would replace old bonds. As if your monthly bills wouldn’t go down if you paid off a credit card and didn’t immediately max it out again. It’s amazing what fuzzy government math can do!

A suburban library district wants to double its tax rate. A Cook County school district property tax hike would result in an annual $1,200 increase to the average homeowner. That $10.5 million park district referendum? It’s for a recreation center in a community with a YMCA and several private fitness clubs.

However, thanks to concerned citizens in several communities, some voters will have the opportunity to express their desire for lower taxes. Seven municipalities in Lake and McHenry Counties will see a non-binding, advisory referendum advocating for a property tax freeze. Our activists, and others using our petitions, gathered the signatures necessary to place these questions on the ballot. AFP-Illinois staff helped volunteers place this same question on the March primary ballot in Will County’s Homer Township (pop. 40,000) where it passed with nearly 90% of the vote.

A group of Madison County citizens gathered more than 10,000 signatures to place a binding referendum on the ballot, an effort we supported. If successful, it will reduce the county’s property tax rate by 20%, thereby allowing Madison County homeowners to keep nearly $2.5 million each year.

With the whole host of problems facing Illinois’ local governments, our elected officials and bureaucrats ought to be looking for reforms, not more of your money.

By the numbers:

Property tax: 48
Sales tax: 27
Bond: 25
Home rule: 3 (Yorkville, Kendall County; Auburn, Sangamon County; Westville,
Vermilion County)

Largest proposed bond issuances:

1. $180 million Champaign C.U.S.D. No. 4 (Champaign County)
2. $130 million Palatine Community Consolidated School District No. 15 (Cook County)
3. $80.6 million Dixon School District No. 170 (Lee & Ogle Counties)
4. $53.3 million Community Consolidated School District No. 181 (Cook & DuPage Counties)
5. $47.4 million East Prairie School District No. 73 (Cook County)
6. $44 million Hononegah Community High School District No. 207 (Boone & Winnebago Counties)
7. $38 million LaSalle-Peru Township High School District No. 120 (Bureau & LaSalle Counties)
8. $31.4 million Paxton-Buckley-Lodi C.U.S.D. No. 10 (Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, Livingston & Vermilion Counties)
9. $30.1 million City of Crystal Lake (McHenry County)
10. $29 million River Trails School District No. 26 (Cook County)