Why are costs up for Wheeling Township roads?

In 2016 the Wheeling Township Board voted to place on the ballot a referendum to abolish the Wheeling Township Road District and give the township board control over maintaining the roads in unincorporated Wheeling Township. The voters overwhelmingly approved the referendum after a well-financed campaign by the Republicans of Wheeling Township promising that it would result in property tax savings.

Despite the promises, the Wheeling Township Board recently voted to levy $719,380 in property taxes for its road fund, an 11.2 percent increase from the previous year's levy of $646,840.

In contrast, neighboring Maine and Palatine townships did not increase their road fund levies.

Why the tax increase?

Rather than reduce salaries, the board voted to increase salaries in the road fund by 24 percent in one year, with another 19 percent increase in the coming year's proposed budget.

The board also voted for a new three-year snowplow contract culminating in a 25 percent increase - with added costs built-in - from the last full year that we had a road district. And this despite snow removal costs being the board's primary complaint about the road district.

The Wheeling Township experience teaches us that government consolidation may not always be intended to reduce taxes, salaries and other costs, but may simply be a power grab designed to increase political patronage.

And sadly, the five board members who unanimously voted for these tax and spending increases all claim to be Republicans.

Let's hope the board members come to their senses and reduce these unnecessary taxes and put a brake on these salary increases.

If not, we really need to reconsider who we are allowing to run Wheeling Township and our Wheeling Township Republican Party.

Robert Hoban

Mount Prospect