Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said state lawmakers need to step in and help fix public pensions. Pension debt is the biggest driver of Illinois’ property taxes, which are the second-highest in the nation.

Barrington Township will be the first local government in Illinois to give taxpayers a vote on reforming the single-largest property tax driver in the state: public pensions. The advisory referendum will be on the ballot Nov. 5.

Illinois offers generous pensions to public workers, but some workers engage in legal schemes that give them more than their fair share. Here are some common Illinois pension games that taxpayers are forced to fund.

Illinois’ broken pension system has allowed loopholes and schemes that cheat other pensioners and drive up taxpayers’ burdens. Here are 10 examples.

Taxpayer contributions accounted for 56% of the money that flowed into Illinois’ pension funds in 2000. Two decades later, residents funded 84% of public employees’ retirements, yet pension debt is still growing.

Unrealistic assumptions and missed investment returns have meant Illinois taxpayers paid $13.7 billion more for public pensions than state leaders projected five years earlier. Unless the estimates improve, taxpayers will pay an extra $21.3 billion during the next decade.

Polling showed 61% of Illinois voters would approve an amendment to the state constitution changing future pension benefits while guaranteeing those already earned by public employees. Taxes remain Illinoisans’ top concern.

The Chicago City Council approved a casino development in the River West neighborhood. The generated revenue will exclusively pay for pension debt, but only an estimated 9% of what the city needs.

Vermont and other blue states have recent pension reforms including reductions in cost of living adjustments. What makes Illinois different?