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VOL. 13 • NO. 38
WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM
270807
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017
Lawmaker urges permanent property tax freeze to prevent additional out-migration By Illinois News Network A suburban state lawmaker wants to cut — then permanently freeze — your property taxes. State Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington, said property taxes are one of the biggest reasons Illinoisans are leaving the state in droves. He thinks a temporary property tax freeze, like the component of the Senate’s budget blueprint, is ineffective.
would put strains on local budgets by an easing of unfunded state man- local governments,” he said. that have been burdened with grow- dates. McSweeney believes Illinois’ ing pension debts but said a property “There are too many mandates 7,000 units of government are largetax freeze would need to be offset that the state of Illinois is placing on ly to blame for the state’s highest-in-
the-nation property taxes. He hopes freezing their income will jump-start a conversation about getting rid of some of them.
“
We need to reduce spending in Springfield. We also need to reduce spending at the local level. There’s no doubt about it.” – State Rep. David McSweeney
“If you couple a freeze with a massive $6.5 billion in new taxes, the two years would just give people time to leave the state,” he said. “We lost 115,000 people last year alone. We need a permanent property tax freeze.” In McSweeney’s bill, every taxing body on your property tax bill would be permanently frozen and could be changed only by a citizen vote. All taxing authorities except schools and community colleges would take a 10 percent cut from their tax levies over two years, as well. McSweeney said the freeze would force local governments to control their unchecked spending that relies on annual increases to local property taxes. “We need to reduce spending in Springfield,” he said. “We also need to reduce spending at the local level. There’s no doubt about it.” McSweeney admitted the freeze
COURTESY PHOTO Bensenville Independent
Fenton High School principal named Educator of the Year
Fenton High School Associate Superintendent/Principal James Ongtengco was named the union-backed 2017 Educator of the Year by the Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO) at its annual meeting on January 27. In the spring of 2016, Fenton High School and CISCO partnered to host a Journeyman Trades Fair, giving students the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities and speak to people who work in the trades. While CISCO works with many schools in the Chicago area, Ongtengco and Fenton High School were chosen due to the consistent enthusiasm toward helping students interested in pursuing a career in the trades. Among those pictured above are: CISCO Executive Director Dan Allen, James Ongtengco, Fenton Board of Education President Mary Ribando and Fenton Board of Education Secretary Laura Wassinger.
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