Articles filed under Griffin, Jake

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  How much money does your town (and therefore you) owe? Oct 3, 2012 12:00 AM
  A Daily Herald analysis shows 72 suburbs across six counties owe nearly $4 billion combined. Another six suburbs have no debt, according to the most recent financial audits of those towns. “You want to examine if debt is growing faster than (property) values and if we’re putting a greater burden on future years,” said Laurence Msall, president of The Civic Federation.
  

   
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  Why suburban water rates are skyrocketing Sep 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Some suburban residents are paying hundreds of dollars more this year for water than they did last year, thanks to a combination of rate increases. And in many towns, there are more rate increases to come. “We were concerned that we were not keeping up with what the true costs were,” Winfield Village Manager Curt Barrett said, for example.
  

   
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  Stipends for county officials cost state $3.4 million Sep 19, 2012 12:00 AM
  It's hard to find anyone who supports a state program that pays some 500-plus county officials $6,500 stipends each year just for holding elected posts. Except those who receive the stipend, that is. But even among that group, support is waning. "I think they'll be taken away," said Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, one of the recipients.
  

   
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  Township assessors get $3,000 bonus for doing job right Sep 12, 2012 12:00 AM
  Nearly 900 township assessors and county assessment officials in Illinois are eligible for a $3,000 yearly bonus — just for doing their jobs right. The "performance stipend" costs taxpayers upward of $650,000 a year in a state that's so broke it's at least $5.8 billion behind in paying its bills. "I think that's something that's going to be phased out," said state Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Republican who is also assessor in Lake County's Fremont Township and who has not received the bonus in any of the last three years.
  

   
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  Officials in 31 suburban townships get automatic raisesAug 29, 2012 12:00 AM
  While most American workers have spent the past four years getting by with stagnating wages, or making even less than in years before, a segment of government employees is doing just fine. Elected officials in 31 suburban townships combined to make $661,387 more this year than they did in 2009. In many cases, they gave themselves the raises -- and they're getting ready to do it again.
  

   
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  The latest on police holiday DUI stings, reader tipsAug 22, 2012 12:00 AM
  With Labor Day around the corner, many suburban police departments are saturating roads with extra patrols aimed at snagging drunken drivers and seat belt scofflaws. But the results of these additional patrols, funded by federal grants distributed by the Illinois Department of Transportation, show some departments are more efficient than others. Reports on topics like these, originally instigated by readers' tips, are presented from time to time as something we call watchdog kibble. Here's a fresh helping.
  

   
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  Part-time cops don't mean big-time savingsAug 8, 2012 12:00 AM
  Without the costly insurance and pension benefits that full-time police officers receive, many suburban departments are turning to part-time officers as a way to cut costs. But the savings may not always pan out. While the reduction of full-time officers amount to savings in some areas, collective bargaining agreements and the cost of staffing those posts may prevent significant savings.
  

   
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  Why you could wait 2 years for tax appeal board answer Aug 1, 2012 12:00 AM
  Property owners who aren't satisfied with their tax assessments after appealing through local channels can always take it a step higher to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. However, they shouldn't hold their breath. The state agency is so overwhelmed, officials there acknowledge it takes about two years for a decision from the board.
  

   
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  Some suburban police departments more top heavy than others Jul 18, 2012 12:00 AM
  Several suburban police departments have high numbers of officers in supervisory roles overseeing fewer subordinates, at a higher cost to taxpayers. But a few other departments have supervisory levels that fall too low, says one expert. Leonard Territo, one of the co-authors of the police administration textbook, said specific circumstances should dictate a police department's supervisory staffing levels.
  

   
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  Millions spent in duplicating South Elgin water service Jul 11, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Otter Creek Water Reclamation District exists essentially on paper alone. There is no staff. There are no headquarters. Its services are almost entirely handled by South Elgin. But it does have millions of dollars of debt and a well-paid lawyer. If South Elgin has its way, though, the district will cease to exist before the year is out.
  

   
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  Suburban police sweeps fall short of grant expectations Jun 27, 2012 12:00 AM
  Despite receiving grants to beef up patrols to snare drunken drivers in the days before last year's Fourth of July, several suburban police departments failed to net a single impaired driver. Eight departments — Algonquin, Cook County sheriff's, Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake Park District, Elk Grove Village, Kildeer, West Chicago and West Dundee — received a combined $21,663 for increased enforcement that resulted in no DUI arrests.
  

   
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  Public safety pensions take bigger bite of suburban budgets Jun 20, 2012 12:00 AM
  As the legislature looks at ways to reform the state's teacher pension costs, one proposal would require school districts to pick up the pension tab like municipalities do for public safety workers. But municipalities have long lamented this process and have seen costs skyrocket in recent years as more property tax dollars go toward covering public safety pension costs.
  

   
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  Why tax burden went up for Cook County homeowners Jun 13, 2012 12:00 AM
  Residential property owners in suburban Cook County school districts are seeing their tax burden increase while commercial property owners are often paying less. This phenomenon is occurring at a much steeper rate than in other suburban counties and has had homeowners all over the suburbs shaking their heads the last few years.
  

   
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  How Illinois teachers got $900 million more in benefitsJun 6, 2012 12:00 AM
  More than 21 percent of the $4.2 billion paid in pension benefits to the state's teachers last year were cost-of-living increases. That's up from 18 percent of the total teacher pension payout just five years ago. “The fact that one benefit can cost over one-fifth of the entire plan indicates how significant the current (cost-of-living adjustment) problem is,” state Rep. Elaine Nekritz said.
  

   
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  What police staffing costs us in the suburbsMay 30, 2012 12:00 AM
  Suburban police departments are spending anywhere from $1,500 to $75 per resident to cover the salaries of full-time sworn officers. Police officials and municipal leaders say many variables go into determining a police department's staffing levels, but these once sacrosanct line items are now under increased scrutiny.
  

   
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  Big weekend for seat belt enforcement, but at what cost?May 23, 2012 12:00 AM
  Suburban police receive hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to increase enforcement of seat belt use around Memorial Day weekend. But our analysis of state transportation grant records shows the program costs more than municipalities will ever get back. "The biggest concern I have is it strips away officer discretion," said Aurora police Cmdr. Joe Groom.
  

   
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  Suburban parks bill taxpayers for Chicago hotel staysMay 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  Twenty-nine suburban park districts spent more than $200,000 combined to pay for hotels, meals, registration and other costs for a weekend conference in January in Chicago, an analysis of invoices showed. Arlington Heights parks spent the most -- $18,664 for 32 people -- while Oakbrook Terrace spent the most per person, at $921.
  

   
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  Which suburbs' police officers make the most? Apr 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  At $89,056.28, full-time Hoffman Estates police officers average the highest base salaries among 77 suburban departments surveyed. Critics say such salaries not only cut into funds for other municipal services, but increase pension liabilities and prevent other towns from holding the line on police salaries.
  

   
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  Suburban residents leave $300 million in tax credits unclaimed Apr 18, 2012 12:00 AM
  Low-earning workers in Chicago and six suburban counties left an estimated $300 million in federal tax breaks on the table last year, and the Internal Revenue Service expects similar results this year. Although the filing deadline for 2011 has passed, the good news is workers can still claim up to three years of these missed tax breaks.
  

   
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  Hoffman Estates fire pension board delays buying iPads Apr 3, 2012 12:00 AM
  A suburban firefighters pension board voted themselves new iPads on taxpayers' dime, the Secretary of State won't accept Visa cards at driver's license facilities, and Wauconda Township finds a way to keep a citizen's petition off the annual town meeting agenda. Catch up on some odds and ends that your tips dredged up in this latest Suburban Tax Watchdog column.