Cut the spending on unneeded activities

I have been a resident of Elk Grove Village and lived in the same house since 1974. Yesterday I opened my tax bill and sat down and cried. The bill had increased by $919.25! This is on top of an increase of $775.97 on my 2010 taxes and $501.16 on my 2009 taxes. My real estate taxes have risen by $2,196.38 (57 percent) in the last three years, while the value of my home has decreased by about 30 percent.

Does anybody know of a worker that has received a 57 percent increase in wages in the last three years? On the contrary, most wage earners have either taken a reduction or received little or no increase. Families have had to take serious measures to cut back on their spending to live within their means during this recession — why can’t government do the same?

We don’t need more buildings, fountains or “special events” at the taxpayers’ expense. Our mayor says these expenditures are justified because they give the village a “hometown feeling.” Actually, these ridiculous increases will mean that Elk Grove won’t be “hometown” to more and more people much longer because these tax hikes will throw them into foreclosure.

Marcie Leonard

Elk Grove Village