Local leaders say more passengers will reduce the need for taxpayer money at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. But as traffic rises, so too has the tab for St. Clair County taxpayers.

The county board approved a $3.5 million property tax levy increase for 2019.

Property taxpayers in St. Clair County have seen home values swamped by property taxes over the past 20 years.

While a few payouts were the result of severe injuries, local taxpayers were also on the hook for settlements with workers who returned to work the very next day.

Illinois has more units of local government than any other state in the country, many of which are duplicative and overlapping. In Belleville, where the majority of the city’s school districts cover fewer students than the state average, consolidation efforts could boost efficiency while saving taxpayer dollars.

Many school district employees’ earnings are more than double that of the typical Belleville household.

Residents of St. Clair and Madison Counties will soon see some of the nation’s most punishing property tax bills.

Residents of St. Clair and Madison Counties will soon see some of the nation’s most punishing property tax bills.

Both Madison and St. Clair County taxpayers paid a higher effective tax rate than the national average in 2017, a year which also saw continued outmigration from the region.