True Cause of Property Tax IncreasesIn the next few weeks various taxing bodies in Lake County (schools, municipalities, townships, libraries, etc.) will be voting on resolutions which will set the dollar amounts they need to fund their respective operations in the next year. The official name for the dollar amount they set is a Tax Levy. As far as property owners are concerned, the Tax Levy might best be called a Property Tax Bill because the entire amount of a taxing body’s levy is paid from real estate taxes collected in the following year.

Every taxpayer understands that our units of local government ask for more money each year. Taxpayers also need to know that the law allows local government to ask for more money regardless of economic conditions or whether property assessments go up or down.

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State Rep. Ed Sullivan, R-51st, of Mundelein, has asked Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office to investigate the dramatic rise in the price local towns are paying for rock salt compared to last year.

“Obviously, there has been some issues regarding the price of road salt throughout the state of Illinois, and specifically in Lake and McHenry counties,” he said. “We’ve seen a 300 percent increase in the price of salt in our area.”

Sullivan said last year most Lake County communities paid $41.65 per ton for salt, and this year they will pay $138.52 per ton.

Sullivan is chief sponsor of House Resolution 1579, which would direct the state’s Auditor General to conduct a public audit of the procurement process used by the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) to purchase rock salt for more than 700 units of local governments for snow and ice removal for the 2008-2009 season.

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MUNDELEIN – In an effort to alleviate the financial burden on local municipalities and to ensure safe roads for winter driving, State Rep. Ed Sullivan (R-Mundelein) is urging passage of legislation during the upcoming November veto session to require a public audit on the state’s procurement of bulk rock salt made available for purchase by local governments. Sullivan is the Chief Sponsor of House Resolution 1579, which would direct the Auditor General to conduct a public audit of the procurement process of rock salt managed by the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) for over 700 units of local government for snow and ice removal for the 2008-09 season.

Additionally, at Rep. Sullivan’s request, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office has agreed to conduct an investigation into the high price of salt to help ascertain the reasons for the skyrocketing increase over last year’s price levels.

“With the winter driving season fast approaching, we need to have answers as to why the price of rock salt has gone up so dramatically,” Rep. Sullivan said. “Most of the communities that participated in CMS’s joint purchasing pool will be forced to pay exorbitant and unprecedented prices in order to maintain safe roads this winter. This is a serious problem that needs to be explained and corrected by those in charge.”

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