Play money: Former Park District of Highland Park employees taking home 6-figure pensions

By Austin Berg

08/16/2018

More than a dozen city and park district retirees in Highland Park have received more than $1 million in pension benefits each.

TAGS: 401(k), Highland Park, IMRF: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, municipal pensions, pensions, property taxes, taxes

20 municipal retirees in Peoria County are pension millionaires

By Vincent Caruso

08/16/2018

The average lifetime pension benefit among the county’s 20 highest-earning municipal retirees is more than $1.2 million, while their average total retirement contribution is less than $75,000.

TAGS: 401(k), municipal pensions, pensions, peoria, property taxes, taxes

St. Clair County property taxes nearly doubled over last 20 years

By Vincent Caruso

08/08/2018

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

TAGS: Belleville, municipal pensions, pensions, property taxes, St. Clair County, taxes

Pair of Des Plaines park district retirees have taken home $1M each in pension benefits

By Joe Kaiser

08/07/2018

Active Des Plaines Park District pensioners – including two pension millionaires – have put taxpayers on the hook for more than $7.6 million in pension payouts since 1996.

TAGS: Des Plaines, IMRF: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, municipal pensions, pensions, property taxes, taxes

Nearly 100 Lake County municipal retirees are pension millionaires

By Austin Berg

08/07/2018

Lake County residents pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation – a burden driven by the growth in pension costs over the last 20 years.

TAGS: 401(k), IMRF: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Lake County, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, police, property taxes, taxes

Naperville begins collecting Airbnb tax as similar taxes loom downstate

By Joe Barnas

08/01/2018

As Airbnb begins to remit Naperville’s hotel/motel use tax, some downstate municipalities are considering similar measures.

TAGS: Airbnb, hotel tax, sharing economy, taxes

Ankle breaker: Dwyane Wade’s property taxes total nearly half home’s value over past 10 years

By Chena Underhill

07/31/2018

Dwyane Wade’s Matteson home has been on the market since May. At its current 5 percent effective property tax rate, the buyer would pay for it again in property taxes within 20 years.

TAGS: municipal pensions, pensions, property taxes, taxes

Will County shoppers would pay among nation’s highest sales taxes under referendum proposal

By Vincent Caruso

07/30/2018

A new sales tax proposed by Will County school districts would put some residents’ sales tax burden in a league with Chicago, which is home to the highest combined sales tax rate of any major city in the U.S.

TAGS: sales tax, taxes, Will County

Retired Kane County water district employee has banked $3.5M in pension payments

By Joe Kaiser

07/30/2018

Despite serving one of the most overtaxed parts of the state, a retired Kane County-area water district employee has collected millions in pension payouts over the past 20 years.

TAGS: IMRF: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Kane County, municipal pensions, pensions, property taxes, taxes

Settlement agreement in Harvey foreshadows pension crisis in Illinois

By Adam Schuster, Joe Tabor

07/30/2018

An agreement to end a dispute between the city of Harvey and two public safety pension funds provides a glimpse at the impending fiscal crises stemming from government pensions across the state.

TAGS: harvey, municipal pensions, pensions, property taxes, taxes