Crespo, Baumer discuss state's role in property tax relief
Like many candidates running for the Illinois House this fall, Democratic 44th District incumbent Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates and Republican challenger Katy Dolan Baumer of Streamwood are weighing in on the issue of local property taxes.
Though state government does not levy property taxes, it does wield oversight authority over the local governments that do. And both 44th District rivals have served on local boards that collect property taxes.
Baumer, who's in her third term as Hanover Township clerk and previously served two terms as a Poplar Creek Public Library trustee, said her long experience on fiscally sound local government boards would help inform her decisions.
"As a township official, I am an eagle eye on watching our budget," she said. "Any way that we can reduce the money that we spend, we do. We have good reserves because we're fiscally responsible, and I think that's a key - to surround yourself with people who are fiscally responsible."
She believes the fiscal discipline she learned at the local level is a strength she would bring to the legislature.
"It does take all of that research to make sure that we are using the money within the law, according to the statute, to support the residents of our community," Baumer said. "And I am proud to stand behind that, that I have worked in that environment and participated in that system."
Crespo, a former Hoffman Estates trustee, said he's been working in Springfield on what he sees as the main causes of Illinois' property-tax crunch: public education's overdependence on property taxes and local governments' raising levies despite healthy reserves.
"That's the impact I can have as a state legislator, to make sure again that we adequately fund education through less property tax and, secondly, pass the bills I've been pushing for almost two years now, which are basically saying some of these school districts are sitting on cash reserves exceeding 100 percent of their annual operating budget and they keep raising their property taxes," Crespo said.
"And actually one of the bills will say that if you have over 60 percent, there has to be a rebate mechanism to get the money back to the taxpayers."
Crespo said the Illinois State Board of Education has stated that a healthy cash reserve for school districts is 25 percent of their annual operating budget. He believes that it's about 25 percent to 30 percent for municipalities.
The 44th District includes parts of Elgin, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg and Streamwood.