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Daily Herald: Why the Cook County soda tax failed
Tim Schneider and his three Republican counterparts on the Cook County Board spent much of this year trying to convince Democratic colleagues a penny-per-ounce sweetened beverage tax would hurt their districts, to no avail.
The suburban Republicans were the minority on the 17-member board, as well as in the 9-8 vote in favor of the tax.
Belleville News-Democrat: High tax cost for so-so academics argues for school consolidation
Crisis has its upside.
Years of dysfunctional school funding formulas and unreliable payments from our debtor state prodded 10 local school districts to start studying consolidation. What is interesting is that there is an 11th district being studied, but that district isn’t especially interested in participating.
Northwest Herald: Woodstock police pension tax levy request down because of 4.5 percent drop in costs
The Woodstock Police Department is asking for less money this year for its pension fund.
Woodstock police pension costs fell 4.5 percent this year because of an increase in investment returns and updated mortality scales, which means the department’s levy requirement will be at $1.3 million – down from $1.4 million last year.
Daily Herald: District 57 officials outline case for tax increase
Mount Prospect School District 57 officials faced some hard questions from residents who attended the first of three community forums Thursday to hear the district’s case for a March referendum.
The referendum, which the school board is expected to consider in December, would ask voters to approve its first tax increase in 29 years, with the exception of building bonds.
Daily Herald: Kane forest preserve levy rises, but not tax bills
Kane County Forest Preserve District commissioners this week increased the property tax levy by the maximum amount for the second straight year. The move comes in response to rising costs, but the amount of money local taxpayers will pay to the district will still be less overall.
The district’s 2018 budget calls for an 11.35 percent spending increase from the district’s largest fund. The budget includes a 3 percent increase in full and part-time salaries. Insurance costs for employees and retirees will also rise 6 percent. The budget also forecasts a 2.08 percent increase in commodities expenses, such as for police uniforms, office supplies and maintenance. Those costs add up to about $10.4 million in expenditures from the general fund or a little more than $1 million in new spending.
Bloomington Pantagraph: City facing possible $1.5M general fund deficit next year
An estimated deficit of about $1.5 million in the city’s general fund is projected in the fiscal 2019 budget.
That deficit is expected to increase to $3 million if the city includes the recommended annual commitment of $1.5 million in maintenance of city facilities in the budget for the fiscal year that begins May 1, said Bloomington Finance Director Patti-Lynn Silva. While the fiscal 2019 general fund budget hasn’t been determined, the figure for fiscal 2018 was $105 million.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Unanswered question: Who should manage local elections?
A thousand Bloomington voters could break a longstanding standoff on the future of local elections.
All parties involved agree having two agencies conduct local elections — the Bloomington Election Commission and McLean County clerk’s office — can be confusing and inefficient, but they’re stuck on which should take over in a possible future consolidation.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Peoria, Springfield are examples for election consolidation
Proponents of combining the Bloomington Election Commission and McLean County clerk’s office election operations need not look far for examples.
Twenty-five years ago, both Springfield and Peoria had separate election commissions and county clerk election operations, but since then both have gone to a single, unified agency, though in different ways.