Robert Martwick

Illinois House passes bill to allow residents to dissolve townships

By Brendan Bakala
03/30/2017
On March 29, the Illinois House of Representatives voted almost unanimously in favor of allowing voters to decide on local government consolidation – a crucial component of shrinking local government spending, which drives up property taxes. State Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, sponsored House Bill 496, which received bipartisan support – more than a dozen representatives...

TAGS: local government consolidation, townships

Taxpayers deserve say in the teachers’ union contracts they pay for

By Mailee Smith
03/21/2017
Negotiations between government-worker unions and governing bodies are conducted behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny. And yet taxpayers are required to pay for whatever extravagant benefits the unions obtain. Recently a bill in the General Assembly would have brought more transparency – and accountability – to the process, but it failed to make it out of committee.

TAGS: education, labor, transparency, unions

Illinois politicians vote to divert $300M from state coffers to fuel local spending

By Amy Korte
03/16/2017
Despite Illinois’ billions in deficit spending and skyrocketing debt, the Illinois House of Representatives passed House Bill 278, which would transfer an additional $300 million per year of state income tax funds to local governments, continuing to prop up local overspending that fuels high property taxes.

TAGS: Illinois House of Representatives, LGDF: Local Government Distributive Fund, property taxes