By: Diane Benjamin
Did you know professional journalists have a Code of Ethics? They do: https://www.spj.org/spj-code-of-ethics/
Top of the list is Seek Truth and Report It:
Ethical journalism should be accurate, fair and in context. Ethical journalists are honest, diligent and courageous as they thoughtfully gather, evaluate and report information.
Is WGLT a member of the Society of Professional Journalists?
If they are they don’t take it seriously. See their latest story on the budget McLean County passed last night: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-11-12/mclean-county-board-approves-150-million-budget-lower-tax-ra
The story is neither accurate or fair. It isn’t honest and the writer did not evaluate what was presented.
Long time readers will see the serious flaws in the first two paragraphs:
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The writer is either:
- Not very smart
- Intentionally trying to deceive
- Just prints what he is told instead of using his own brain
If you haven’t figured it out, your $255,000 house won’t be $255,000 on your next tax bill. It will be a lot higher because the State of Illinois wants your taxes to go up. They are the biggest reason your assessed values increase every year, they call it a multiplier.
Almost every unit of government thinks they have the right to tax you more because your house is worth more. Taxing unrealized gains is not only EVIL, it makes home ownership more impossible.
Your County taxes will be going up next year. WGLT evidently doesn’t want you to know.
“Some homeowners may not see a decrease”? Duh, nobody will.
I’m not a journalist and have never pretended to be one. I’m curious, media isn’t.
The levy is going up over 4%, so on average you should expect the county’s portion of your property taxes to go up about 4%, since the assessor almost always raises everyone’s assessed value in line with market price increases, and even if he doesn’t for particular townships, the state of Illinois will apply an equalized rate multiplier to make sure the assessments universally rise in line with market prices.