UPDATE X1: Sue Handlesman answers a crucial question raised by an IR commenter about this legislation. (See below in the comment section)
WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Blog featured Woodstock resident Susan Handlesman's assessment as to why a bill sitting on Governor Rauner's desk should be vetoed.
She says to veto HB5529 would line up with the governor's agenda to restrain the state's property tax debacle from getting worse and more complicated.
Ms. Handlesman writes:
Schools have specific tax caps in discrete Funds. For example, 4 percent of EAV is maximum allowable rate in Education Fund.
Bruce Rauner promised many times to rein in real estate taxes. This is his first chance to do so.
One way schools evade these maximum rates allowed by law is to deliberately over-levy in another Fund (like Transportation Fund), then transfer excess accumulation of tax money into the tax capped Funds (like Education Fund).
This tax cap evasion loophole, which destroys the only real protection property taxpayers have left, is on Rauner’s desk to be signed.
The Governor has the power to STOP this House Bill 5529.
HB 5529 provides perversion of the spirit of the school code, which seeks to restrain school spending within (generous) limits relative to the means of the taxed community.
How did the state lawmakers vote on this measure?
HB 5529 was sponsored by a Democrat – Fred Crespo – and a Republican – Robert Pritchard. Three Democrats – Chapa LaVia, Drury and Franks – voted no along with one Republican – David Harris.
And in the Senate, only Democrats sponsored the bill. Eight Republican senators – Althoff, McCarter, McConchie, Nybo, Oberweis, Rezin, Righter and Rose – voted against it.
