Note to readers from Mark Glennon re: Ukraine
May 6, 2026
4 Comments
Everybody needs a side hustle these days, and mine is Ukraine, where I am now.
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If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Illinois property tax assessed rate set by the Illinois Department of Revenue is 33 1/3
JB isn’t wrong, but he’s completely tone-deaf. What’s worse is that only about 20% of people vote in local elections, and those elections are dominated, absolutely dominated, by Democrats, especially when it comes to local school boards. These boards control the majority of most people’s property taxes. In my case, roughly 70% of my tax bill goes straight to the school districts. When I explain this to liberals, I point out that there are both pluses and minuses to the current system. One real benefit is that communities and school districts tend to be segregated by income. As a result,… Read more »
Well then the 80% that don’t vote appear to be satisfied with the votes of the 20% that do vote. Illinois politics at its finest!
Most people of means (many public school teachers and administrators) opt out of public schools because they suck.
Problem is, by statute, School Districts can raise their cut of Property Taxes by 5% without having to go for a Referendum (which would be anything Exceeding that). So, Boards max it out every year under the noses of their taxpayers, who then are shocked when they get their next Property Tax Bill. And the Triannual Reassessment exacerbates that Permanent problem. :-/
Not to worry. I’m confident Illinois and its localities can work together to abuse us taxpayers doubly!
“The Chief Appraisers are colluding with the districts to cook the books. We have the evidence, the Chief Appraisers go for lunch or have meetings with the School District Superintendent. The Superintendent hands over to the Chief Appraiser their predetermined budget, with the instructions “hit the budget”. That means the Chief Appraiser has to go back, create overvaluation in order to generate the money through overtaxation, to pay for the predetermined budget. You must realize this has absolutely zero to do with Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). This has zero to do with the Texas property tax code.… Read more »
Come on guys…we are drowning out here…please stop blaming others and making excuses and do your friggin job and work out a way to lower the damn property taxes for the residents and tax payers of Illinois. These jackasses simply make statements about who’s responsibility it is…and do absolutely nothing. What the hell do we pay these people for? Illinois government is completely performative and not functional.
So let’s see. My school district wants a new school so we pay higher taxes to build it. Now neighboring districts like Cahokia Heights or Venice do not have the tax base for a new school so the State pays for the new school. Somehow I am missing something. We pay hefty taxes but then pay taxes to the State who dishes out money so others do not have to pay higher taxes. Oh, I know…it’s Illinois.
Here’s something novel – Income testing property taxes. Know of senior in another state who had their +$4k property tax bill (taxes have gone way up because of gentrification of the +100 year neighborhood) canceled on the home they own because their annual income is so meager. The state is properous and has a budget surplus and so does the city. In IL, this senior would be a target for the tax sale hucksters.
Debate about who gets to steal your money..
JB , knowing full well that the state gets its cut of taxes imposed locally, isn’t going to step on any local toes. He also knows that he will raise existing taxes or create new ones to be ratified in the dead of night in Springrad.