Study harder before adopting property tax

Residents should ask of the Carol Stream mayor and village trustees they not implement a property tax at this time. Our village leadership has done an amazing job of staving off a property tax over the years and our village is one of a handful in the area that does not have a property tax and that elite status increases our property values substantially and makes our village attractive to homebuyers and businesses.

I realize capital funds are drained due to the new village hall, but we will not run out of money in our capital improvement plan until three years down the road. Also, the few projects the village has cut or delayed projects only amount to 2% of its operating budget. We can do better than that and have time to look to creative solutions to cut more expenses and increase sales tax revenue by finding more innovative ways to attract new retail business.

Back during the recession, one could feel the village working extremely hard to cut expenses. It doesn't feel we have put as much effort into doing that again now in 2019. Once a property tax is implemented, it never goes away and can continued to be increased in the future. Since we are not in such dire straits and don't have an immediate cash need, let's hold off on finalizing a property tax at this time.

Since 2012, the Carol Stream operating budget is up millions of dollars or 37% and staffing is up by 20-plus people or 16%. Again, let's do more to review the budget, find better ways to attract business and look for creative solutions to insurance and pension costs before losing that elite status of being one of the few towns that does not levy a property tax.

John Jaszka

Carol Stream,