Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Look on the bright side, lower home prices mean lower property taxes, no?
NO! They decide on the total amount of revenue they need to raise, and they raise or lower the rates accordingly. That’s exactly why so many communities are in death spiral.
More accurately, the amount of revenue they want to raise, which is typically more than they need to raise.
“Compared to last year the nation’s single family home prices rose 6.5%…”
“…the 20 metro area composite rose 6.8%.”
“…the Case Shiller Chicago index was only up 2.8% which put the Chicago area in last place among the 20 metro areas…”
No mention in the article that this month 3 economists employed by the the Chicago Federal Reserve proposed a 1% statewide property tax to fund the five Illinois STATE pension funds (that doesn’t include LOCAL pension funds) which they project would result in property values decreasing by 20% before eventually recovering.
https://wirepoints.org/chicago-feds-answer-for-illinois-pension-crisis-is-a-statewide-property-tax-wirepoints-original/
https://wirepoints.org/chicago-fed-team-proposes-perhaps-the-dumbest-solution-yet-to-the-states-pension-crisis-crains