Property tax freeze not the state's business
The Illinois legislature is considering placing a freeze on property taxes as one of Gov. Rauner's top priorities. That sounds good in practice, but have you considered the effect of a property tax freeze on your services?
In 1980, former Rep. David Barkausen sent me a letter letting me know that the legislature was considering a bill which would eliminate the state's requirement to provide a source of funding for any bill passed which would increase costs to a local government. That bill was approved despite Rep. Barkhausen's opposition.
Since then, the state has passed over 280 unfunded mandates, bills which passed costs onto local governments without providing a source of income to pay for those added costs.
Last year, the legislature passed a bill that allows firemen to bargain for the number of firemen on duty at any point in time. Imagine owning a business and having your employees tell you how many more employees you have to have at any point in time. This bill, supported by local legislators including Rep. Ed Sullivan, does exactly that, it tells local governments that the employees can decide how many employees they are required to have on duty.
The property tax freeze could severely impact local services while doing absolutely nothing to resolve Illinois' current financial fiasco created by Springfield. It only passes the problem on to local governmental bodies.
The same problems currently facing Springfield will remain after a property tax freeze. However, local governmental bodies will be facing the same financial crisis.
If you live in the village of Libertyville, 41.7 percent of the amount collected by the village for property taxes is paid to fund pensions, a system established and controlled by your representatives in Springfield. The amount we are required to pay annually is set by the state and that amount has increased by 27.97 percent in just two years.
If property taxes are frozen, the amount required to be paid into pensions by the state will not be frozen. As a result, there will be no choice but to cut services by the same amount of the increases.
Some local municipalities do not rely on property taxes for funding services. The village of Vernon Hills has no municipal property tax. However, the village of Vernon Hills, unlike the village of Libertyville, has a separate park district and a separate fire protection district. These bodies rely almost solely on the property tax. They are also subject to pension cost increases.
Countryside Fire Department has 35 full-time employees. If their pension costs increase due to required pension payments, who will pay the costs for fire service?
Do you really want your fire services, a major local service cut as a result of Springfield's inability to balance a budget?
When the vote on the property tax freeze came up in the legislature, Rep. Carol Sente voted for the freeze. When I asked her how local governments were misspending taxpayer money, she could not answer that question. Yet, she voted to prevent local government from doing its job.
Local governments have balanced budgets. They don't spend money they don't have, unlike the state of Illinois.
Yes, increases in taxes are sometimes required. We'd all like to see property taxes frozen. However, what services are you willing to give up to pay for that freeze?
If you want to continue having the services you receive from your local governments I urge you to contact your elected state officials and tell them to clean their own house before attacking local governments.
Terry Weppler is Libertyville village president.