The buzz: Normal is raising property taxes on Monday!
Will the fake Republicans vote to take your money?
Will Democrats tell you they have no alternative?
Will Chris Koos resign?
Lyle Sumek doesn’t allow budgeting pension expense?
Will Marxist Illinois ever fix the pension crisis?
Only New Jersey has higher property taxes, is Normal trying to get Illinois to number one?
States-With-The-Highest-And-Lowest-Property-Taxes
There are two ways to pay property taxes. Some folks bundle it in with their monthly payment. Some pay twice a year. To these folks those taxes are a big bump in the budget even if one sets aside some monies
through the year. These people are much more aware of taxation. School districts are the big recipient of this tax. The only way to fix this local rampant spending is the school boards. But nobody cares enough to run.
If governments need heavier taxation then unredact (bring back) the luxury tax. If you want a 2021 Dodge
Roadhogger, alligator shoes, gold ring, four car garage on the front of your house, you pay the the same as the old luxury tax, 10%.
They choose to pay high taxes with fancy houses. Tax the rich is socialism and will force the rich to leave.
The only “rich” who will leave are the one whose god is money.
Study the states who have fleeced the rich. They fled. Pritzker took the toilets out to avoid taxes. They didn’t get rich forking over THEIR money to anybody.
Crony capitalism is an excellent description.
“Capitalism laced with greed is domed to fail” Max Webber
What about our government learning to live within its means and fighting for needed pension reforms to a broken system in Illinois to say nothing of a new funding formula in Normal? Jim, you’re just advocating one new tax increase in place of an increase to the property tax levy. This will not solve the problem. We know what our pension obligations are at the beginning of the year. Why is it that year after year rolls around and we in Normal must be subjected to another tax hearing with another property tax increase? Because the town of Normal does not budget for pensions, that’s why! They just rely on a property tax levy to meet the obligations. This madness has to stop. Not only is it irresponsible, it’s unsustainable and it’s not working. Our low level of funding for our police and fire pensions prove that. Until the citizens band together and demand change, this is what we’re going to get. I’m not surprised by any of this. No fly on the wall here, in fact, I predicted it in my public comment remarks at the 9-16-19 Council meeting.
Koos is doing his best to help elect Tiritlli next cycle. The Town Council has to decide if they’re willing to back Koos on this one with a rubber stamp, knowing as they must that the mayor and his policies are becoming more and more unpopular. I suspect the potted plants will pour on the theatrics to try and convince the public that we “won’t recognize the town if we have to make cuts” or that “there’s no alternative” or something like that. Of course, Normal could cut millions from the budget overnight and no taxpayers would notice…except those relying on crony capitalism of course.
I don’t think Koos will even run again for mayor. He knows he barely escaped the last time and without his ISU buddy Dietz getting out the non permanent resident vote his challenger wins. His only other option is to get some of
his green or libertarian buddies to run in order to split the vote. In a head-to-head match he is political dead meat and knows it. His enormous ego couldn’t take defeat so he will likely not subject himself to the possibility. He’ll lie in the weeds until the next cycle and run for state rep or state senator or something else. He knows he can depend on his diminutive greasy pal Dick Durbin to help him run for a state office. Renner has similar but bigger political plans. Both are political scumbags of the highest order.
He won’t finish this term.
Agreed. He’s not running for reelection. Word had it that Koos didn’t want to run last time, but no one was ready in the leftist bullpen. He’s clearly making it hard for a tax-and-spend candidate to win in the next cycle. (Good!) I don’t think he’s running for higher office.
Maybe not running, but there are other avenues.
In the 60’s and 70’s people burned draft cards and bras in protest. The time has come to burn property tax bills and pictures of Koos, Renner and JB in protest.
Debt payments are also part of the property tax bill.
Part of my attempt to stir the pot….
1) Apartment complex owners should make tenants chearly aware of how much of their rent is for real estate taxes….as it is guaranteed that it is being passed on to the tenant. When real estate taxes go up complex owners should immediately let tenants know the increase it will bring to their rent. If the tenants see this as opposed to thinking it is just the greedy landlord only causing a cost increase maybe the outcry will be a little louder.
2) Gas station owners should put on the pump a listing of taxes per gallon and itemized as to who is getting them.
3) On menus at restaurants who are being forced to list calories for items, at the bottom should be an itemized list of taxes.
You get the idea, until people see it on a daily basis they will just keep on going like all is fine. Well it ain’t.
Maybe they will decide underfunding pensions is a better alternative. I hope the police and fire employees are watching!
Normal is paying property taxes it doesn’t owe. Perhaps that money could be (could have been?) applied towards pensions?
Normal has rental agreements that it is losing money on, as well as some making well under market rate. Perhaps those could be revamped or cancelled, and the monies applied to pensions?
The council voted to significantly overpay for office space in a building they were already subsidizing with over a million taxpayer dollars. Perhaps that money would be better applied to pensions?
The council voted to allocate over a million taxpayer dollars towards tearing down the popular uptown mural. Perhaps that money could have been better applied to pensions?
The council recently voted to give $150K to the new brewpub. Granted that is future money rather than cash-on-hand, but perhaps that money could have been better applied to pensions?
The council voted a pay increase for themselves and the mayor, and we have a well-compensated town manager and I expect some budgeting/accounting staff, most of whom seem unable to find a way to pay for pensions other than through tax increases. Perhaps some of That money should be applied towards pensions?