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Taxing bodies facing lawsuit McHenry County schools, gov’ts sued over increased levies
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By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A recent lawsuit against eight local taxing bodies that claims 2014 levies were invalid or unnecessary is part of what a St. Charles attorney said will be an annual effort against overtaxation in McHenry County. The county, Community High School District 155, Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47, Harrison School District 36, Algonquin Township, Algonquin Road District, McHenry Township and McHenry Road District all are named defendants in a lawsuit filed Thursday by 132 plaintiffs, who are represented by Timothy Dwyer of Dwyer Law Office. In such lawsuits, the county treasurer and collector – in this case, McHenry County Treasurer Glenda Miller – is named as a defendant, but the independent taxing en-
tities are the “real party interests,” Dwyer said. The plaintiffs are seeking a refund, including accrued interest, on their 2014 taxes collected by the defending parties “by reason of excessive, illegal or voidable levies, assessments and taxes,” the lawsuit says. “That’s the short-term goal,” Dwyer said. “The long-term goal of this is a reduced taxation for all the residents.” The recent lawsuit alleges the county overtaxed for numerous funds – the Valley Hi Nursing Home Enterprise Fund, the County Bridge Fund, the Matching Fund and the Loss Prevention and Protection Fund – despite significant surpluses. It also challenges the entire levy adopted by District 36 in 2014, specifically naming the transportation fund levy of about $1.8 million, which the documents say was more than five times the necessary amount. District 36 Superintendent Sue Wings said the district was aware of the lawsuit and acknowledged the transportation fund is a point of concern. “We began discussions earlier in the fall on how we wanted to approach the levy this year so that we’re not levying a large amount in the transportation fund as it’s
See LAWSUIT, page A4
County adjusts to increased coyote presence By CAITLIN SWIECA cswieca@shawmedia.com
McHENRY – It was about 7 a.m. in the Liberty Trails subdivision when Gabby Kildew, sitting with her 13-year-old son who was waiting for his bus, saw an unexpected visitor in the neighborhood: a coyote running right in front of her car. The coyote’s boldness may have been surprising, but Kildew said she’s seen the animals more frequently lately. In Voice your the week after that enopinion counter, she said she saw Have you at least three seen coyotes o t h e r c o y in your com- otes around munity? Vote M c H e n r y online at County. NWHerald. Kildew com. said she thinks the animals are getting bolder, but she also sympathizes with their plight. “They’re looking for food. Winter’s coming. I feel bad for them,” Kildew said. “We’re building and building. These animals have nowhere to go.” McHenry County Wildlife Resource Center specialist Beth Gunderson said the widespread presence in the area should be viewed as a reality to which residents must adapt. “Twenty years ago, we didn’t have coyotes in neighborhoods, but they’re so smart and so adaptable, they’ve learned that neighborhoods make great places to live,” Gunderson said. “The reality nowadays is that they are a neighborhood animal.” Gunderson said calls about coyotes, which re-
How to coexist with coyotes Coyotes pose little to no threat to people, but there are steps humans can take to ensure the safety of their pets. • Do not feed coyotes Feeding coyotes teaches them to associate humans with food, which eventually will make them bold and unafraid. • Keep attractants out of your yard Don’t leave pet food outside, keep garbage cans secured, keep small pets inside or on a leash outside, and clean up any fallen fruit or seed from bird feeders. • Use harassment and repellents Ways to reinstill a fear of humans in coyotes include throwing things, such as rocks or tennis balls, spraying the coyote with a hose, making loud noises with an air horn or making aggressive gestures, such as moving toward the animal while waving your arms and shouting. • Never approach an injured coyote Contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at 847-608-3100 or your local law enforcement agencies if you see an injured coyote.
Source: McHenry County Conservation District semble small German shepherds, are common at the center. The number of calls has been steady for the past five or six years. The shift in coyotes from rural to urban areas came
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Twenty years ago, we didn’t have coyotes in neighborhoods, but they’re so smart and so adaptable, they’ve learned that neighborhoods make great places to live.” Beth Gunderson McHenry County Wildlife Resource Center specialist
once coyotes realized those neighborhoods have plenty of food sources, such as mice, chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits, and no hunters. Coyotes, Gunderson said, are not a threat to humans unless humans start feeding the animals. The Urban Coyote Research Project, which tracks the animal’s presence in Chicago, said there has not been a single coyote bite or attack on humans reported in northeastern Illinois. They can attack or even kill pets, particularly cats and small dogs. “You don’t want to leave a pet out unattended,” Gunderson said. “Don’t let it run off. Keep it on a leash. That’s the best thing you can do – be out there with your pets.” Mark Hutson, who lives on a farm between Harvard
See COYOTES, page A4
AP file photo
A Syrian refugee child sleeps in his father’s arms while waiting at a resting point to board a bus Oct. 4 after arriving on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos.
Illinois tries to cease Syrian refugee intake By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com Illinois on Monday joined 23 other states trying to block or suspend accepting Syrian refugees after Friday’s deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. Gov. Bruce Rauner announced the state temporarily will suspend accepting new refugees from the war-torn country and consider its legal options pending a full review of Department of Homeland Security procedures for accepting them. “Our nation and our state have a shared history of providing safe haven for those displaced by conflict, but the news surrounding the Paris terror attacks reminds us of the all-too-real security threats facing America. We must find a way to balance our tradition as a state welcoming of refugees while ensuring the safety and security of our citizens,” Rauner said in a statement. The list Illinois joined Monday morning swelled quickly to almost half the states in the union, all but one of them with Republican governors. The Friday terror attacks across Paris left 129 dead and hundreds more wounded. Preliminary reports indicate one of the sui-
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cide bombers who blew himself up near the Stade de France sports stadium may have entered Europe posing as one of the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which took credit for the attacks. Authorities said a Syrian passport was found near one of the attackers, and the Paris prosecutors’ office said fingerprints from the attacker match those of someone who passed through Greece in October. About 110 refugees from Syria have been resettled in Illinois this year as of October, according to the U.S. State Department’s Refugee Processing Center. The Illinois Department of Human Services said 131 refugees from Syria have settled in Illinois since 2011. President Barack Obama has set a goal of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. It’s a plan Republicans have urged Obama to reconsider, given the actions by the aforementioned governors ultimately have little effect. Even if they prevent agencies from resettling refugees in their states – and federal law and U.S. Supreme Court
See REFUGEES, page A4
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