Alton voters to decide on sales tax hike at the ballot box
Alton voters to decide on sales tax hike at the ballot box
Madison County voters have rejected a proposed 1 percent sales tax hike twice before. Will the third time be a charm?
Lake Forest city manager outearns all 50 state governors
Lake Forest city manager outearns all 50 state governors
In Illinois, hundreds of municipal workers earn more than every state governor. The city manager of Lake Forest is the second-highest paid city manager in the state.
Typical family in Rock Island County would see $513 tax hike under progressive tax proposal
Typical family in Rock Island County would see $513 tax hike under progressive tax proposal
The Illinois side of the Quad Cities is already seeing population loss as residents pack up and leave high tax burdens behind.
Report: $800M of property tax burden in Chicago shifted onto poorer homeowners from 2011-2015
Report: $800M of property tax burden in Chicago shifted onto poorer homeowners from 2011-2015
University of Chicago researchers have found inaccurate and unfair assessments by the Cook County Assessor’s Office led to $800 million of the property tax burden shifting from owners of Chicago homes in the top 10 percent (by sale price) to owners of homes in the bottom 70 percent.
Progressive tax proponents display magical thinking
Progressive tax proponents display magical thinking
Advocates for a progressive income tax claim to offer relief for middle-class families. But that doesn’t jive with real proposals in Springfield or lawmakers’ spending habits.
Study: Illinois home to highest overall tax burden in the nation
Study: Illinois home to highest overall tax burden in the nation
A recent study confirms what too many Illinoisans have discovered firsthand: that they’re among the most overburdened taxpayers in the country.
TIFs: A mythical pot of gold for local governments
TIFs: A mythical pot of gold for local governments
Tax increment financing creates elusive troves of property tax “gold” – by depleting funds from local governments the mechanism intends to serve.
Off the rails: Estimated cost for Lake Forest Amtrak stop has grown by more than 400 percent
Off the rails: Estimated cost for Lake Forest Amtrak stop has grown by more than 400 percent
Efforts to add an Amtrak train stop in Lake Forest have been plagued by a series of setbacks for a project now estimated to cost more than $13.4 million.
Collinsville, Granite City sales taxes would rival Chicago’s under tax hike referendum
Collinsville, Granite City sales taxes would rival Chicago’s under tax hike referendum
Madison County voters have twice turned down a proposed sales-tax hike to fund school facilities projects, but the proposal will appear again on March primary ballots. If approved, shoppers in Collinsville and Granite City would see some of the highest sales tax rates in the country.
Wheeling approves $7M handout to developer
Wheeling approves $7M handout to developer
Despite residents seeing some of the highest property tax bills in the state, the Wheeling Board of Trustees approved a preliminary agreement giving a developer nearly $7 million to build apartments and retail space in the village.
Sonne DeVries & Dan Sheldon
Sonne DeVries & Dan Sheldon
“We searched for a house for about a year. We looked at horrible houses, but we were willing to do the work to build the house into something. This house was a disaster. We did a lot of renovations. We did the whole house. “We invested a lot into the house, and we enjoyed it...
Real relief: What Illinoisans looking for property tax reform can learn from Virginia
Real relief: What Illinoisans looking for property tax reform can learn from Virginia
If Illinois adopted Virginia’s spending habits along with policies that can reduce costs and raise home values, the Prairie State could vastly reduce the property tax burden that Illinois homeowners currently face.
Bill would expand airport property tax boundaries in Rock Island County
Bill would expand airport property tax boundaries in Rock Island County
House Bill 5816 would put all Rock Island County property taxpayers on the hook for costs at the Quad City International Airport.
Bill restricting government promotional spending advances in General Assembly
Bill restricting government promotional spending advances in General Assembly
An investigation in December 2017 found that a convention for municipalities and public agencies ran taxpayers nearly $120,000 in exhibition and hospitality costs. A proposal making its way through the General Assembly would bar state funds from contributing to these excesses.