Editor's Pick: Why did Kenilworth’s Home Rule Referendum Fail?

Inadequate public education? Fear of higher taxes? Or outright opposition?

Why did Kenilworth’s Home Rule Referendum Fail?

Inadequate public education? Fear of higher taxes? Or outright opposition?

Six weeks ago, Kenilworth residents made their way to the polling place, stepped into the booth and voted down the village’s home rule referendum. But what caused 61.8 percent of the 1,382 voters to issue a decisive no to a proposed change billed as a potential solution to Kenilworth’s mounting infrastructure woes? Kenilworth Village President Fred G. Steingraber said he thinks poor timing, insufficient village communication and residents’ fears of higher property taxes are mostly to blame. Had the measure passed, the village would have assumed various taxing, zoning and licensing powers that had previously fallen to the state. More importantly, according to Steingraber, the newfound capabilities would have been used to help finance an …

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David Greenberg

6:50 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012

How about an ordinance to implement term limits for all elected officials. Then if someone happens to get an increase through, it can be undone w/o worrying about whether a career politician will connive to prevent the repeal. In the meantime, kudos to the 61% of the voters who chose to wisely limit the power of their Government.   more ›

Five Questions with a Property Tax Whiz: Dan Patlak

Patch catches up with the Cook County Board of Review Commissioner before he hosts a seminar in Northfield Township next week.

Do all those property tax numbers make your eyes squint? If you're looking for some clarity, you're in luck. Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak will host a property tax seminar in Northfield Township on Wednesday, Jan. 11. The event is at 7 p.m. at the Bernard Weinger Jewish Community Center, 300 Revere Dr. in Northbrook. Patch talked with Patlak to learn more about the seminars. Related: Understanding Your Cook County Property Taxes Patch: Why is it important for residents to attend the property tax seminars? Patlak: No one should pay more than their fair share of taxes. Therefore, any property owner who believes they may be overassessed owes it to themselves to attend a Board of Review Assessment Appeal Seminar to find …

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Wilmette: 2012 Budget Proposes $50 Property Tax Increase

If passed, the budget will bring a 3.69 percent increase to property owners.

Whether it's repairing sewer mains, planting trees or fixing pot holes, the village of Wilmette isn't planning on cutting essential services from their 2012 budget, officials said Thursday night. After a two-hour workshop at village hall, board members unanimously approved scheduling the budget proposal for a final vote at their Nov. 22 meeting. The proposal calls for a property tax increase of 3.69 percent, the lowest percentage increase since 1999, said Village Manager Timothy J. Frenzer. The tax hike would cost Wilmette homeowners an estimated $50 more each year, bringing the village an additional $500,000. Read more: The 2012 Budget Online “The recession that we find ourselves in continues to impact the village with key revenues well …

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Plans for Marriott Inn Near Final Approval

As the economy continues to suffer, a new hotel would bring Wilmette desirable tax dollars. But at what cost to neighbors?

It was a late night Tuesday for hotel developers, Wilmette residents and their elected officials, as they spent roughly four hours at the village hall listening to explanations, questions and public denunciations over a proposed six-story hotel that could begin construction as early as May. Council members voted and unanimously granted preliminary approval for a Marriott Inn at 3201 Old Glenview Rd. in Wilmette, which will head to the village Plan Commission for further review, then would need to go back to the council for final approval. The inn is being built by the Indiana-based White Lodging Services Corp. Earlier: Big Inn Endorsed to Wilmette Council “In my job as village president, one of the things that I need to do is try to make …

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New Trier District 203 Approves $91.6M Budget

New contracts reduce projected salary costs.

The New Trier Township High School District 203 school board unanimously approved its 2011-2012 budget Monday night. The final spending plan shows the district in a better financial position than earlier projections estimated. This is because new contracts for teachers and physical plant staff include lower salaries and benefits than Associate Superintendent Donald Goers had included in the preliminary budgets. It also reduces the contingency funds included in the earlier versions of the budget. The final budget calls for $91.6 million in expenses, down from $92.7 in the tentative budget that was the subject of a public hearing in July. More than 80 percent of the expense budget goes to salaries and benefits. Budget revenues increased by $…

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Making Sense of Your Property Tax

Taxpayer Advocates Call For Civic Engagement

In Day Five of our series, Patch shares what elected officials and advocates wish Cook County residents would do.

Seven years ago, Karim Chatriwala turned the key to open his version of the American Dream. The Pakistani immigrant opened up a Subway sandwich storefront in Morton Grove, a north suburb of Chicago, where he lives with his wife, two children and parents. With a wide network of friends and a place of worship right down the street, Chatriwala says the community has a lot to offer. But the business owner also said that if his property taxes do not decrease, his increasing debt might force him to move away. He estimates he pays $1,200 per month and is barely keeping afloat. So Chatriwala went to his local township assessor’s office, seeking advice and raising concern. The assessor and his deputy answered his questions, and gave him information…

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Pat Craig

11:09 am on Saturday, April 2, 2011

Township government is just a start. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704050204576219073867182108.html, more Americans work for the government than in manufacturing, farming, fishing, forestry, mining and utilities combined. Hmm. Our federal government is broke, and many state and local governments are highly likely to start …   more ›

Making Sense of Your Property Tax

Local Taxing Bodies Find Profit in Cooperatives

In Day Four of our series, Patch gives you the inside scoop on powerful organizations you may not know exist within the world of property taxes.

At lunchtime on a windy Wednesday in December, the movers and shakers of a northern Chicago suburb met at an elementary school with two attorneys and a couple pizza pies. You could call it a property tax pizza party, though the pizza came after the paperwork. It was time for the Property Tax Appeals Cooperative (PTAC) meeting, a semi-annual gathering for local taxing bodies in Niles Township that began in 1998. The cooperative, which includes about 15 school districts, public libraries, park districts and village governments, is trying to ensure that they get all the local tax money they believe they deserve. Groups such as Niles’ PTAC hire attorneys in the area to oppose businessowners’ property tax appeals. When banks, shopping malls, or…

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Making Sense of Your Property Tax

Effects of Cook County Property Taxes on Business

In Day Two, Patch unpacks the impacts of the classified tax system on businesses, through the lens of one business owner.

Joel Byron, 51, was hunched over tiny numbers in the back office of his business property, a one-window storefront in the northwest suburbs. Surrounded by stacks of papers, the small business owner thumbed his way through records of correspondence with the Cook County Tax Assessor’s Office like pages in a family photo album. “Here’s a letter from October,” he said. “Oh, wait! Here’s the one from November. … This one is mine again. … And here’s the follow-up response two weeks later.” To small business owners like Byron, the amount they owe in property taxes each year is not just one more line item in their operating budget. Due to the complex tiered system unique to Cook County, it can single-handedly cripple them. Part of the reason is …

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