Preckwinkle: Cook County Forest Preserves 2022 Budget ‘A Bridge’ to Property Tax Referendum – WTTW (Chicago)

The recommended budget doesn’t make a dent in the district’s $64 million in unfunded maintenance, pension obligations or goal to acquire more land. To meet those needs, the district is pinning its hopes on the passage of a property tax referendum that will come before voters in November 2022. The proposed tax increase is “one-fourth of one-tenth of 1%,” said Preckwinkle, who repeated the amount for effect.
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Pat
4 years ago

“A bridge too far …”

Lana
4 years ago

Taxpayers would not have to face referendums if Government would spend according to the budget!
Say NO to any tax increase. Tell the Gov’t to make cuts in their own house!
Whatever you are planning to cut, we can live without!

nixit
4 years ago

Hold up. They are proposing raising the existing forest preserve taxing rate by .025% to a total of .076%. Does that mean the rate would increase .00025 percentage points or is that the percentage increase? Because if it’s the former, and the existing rate is .051%, that means the tax rate has increased 50%.

In other words, is this the same freakin’ game they played with the income tax hike back in 2011/15?

The proposed tax increase is “one-fourth of one-tenth of 1%,” said Preckwinkle, who repeated the amount for effect.

Last edited 4 years ago by nixit
mqyl
4 years ago
Reply to  nixit

You got it right. The tax rate increase would be approximately 50 percent (49 percent to be exact). So, to provide meaningful information to the taxpayers, the information provided should read: “The proposed tax rate increase is 49 percent.”

nixit
4 years ago
Reply to  mqyl

And they wonder why we don’t trust them.

This is the danger in tax silos or, in this case, a tax silo within a tax silo. There’s always a relatively small tax rate buried beneath that, when viewed independently of all other taxes, appears insignificant. But when you tally up all these so-called insignificant tax rates, it comes out to a substantial amount.

nixit
4 years ago

Acquire more land?! I like open spaces as much as the next guy, but the forest preserve groves devoid of people 90% of the time tell a different story.

Mike
4 years ago

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is up for re-election in 2022.

ConcernedExpat
4 years ago

How about this: NO! Make your “hard decisions” now.

Wolfnight
4 years ago

Is this a freaking joke?

MORE money after me, the taxpayer, giving Illinois $7.5bn?

Take a walk PW. Stick this where the sun don’t shine.

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