Austin Weekly News 122519

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AUSTINWEEKLY news ■

Vol. 33 No. 52

December 25, 2019

Accountability is 360 degrees,

austinweeklynews.com

Also serving Garfield Park

PAGE 5

@AustinWeeklyChi

@AustinWeeklyNews

A Black Bl k PPanther th looks back, page 4

Want lower property taxes? Boost school funding

Proposal comes ahead of special property tax task force report due out this month By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD — A pair of researchers are suggesting the best way to reduce property taxes in Illinois is for the state to take over a greater share of funding for public schools and consolidate some units of local government. Frank Manzo, policy director at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, and Robert Bruno, director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, argue in a new report that such a plan would not only hold down future property tax hikes, but it would actually help create jobs and stimulate the state’s economy. “There have been previous commissions on this issue since the 1980s,” Manzo said in an interview. “Four of them, in fact, and all four unanimously found that really meaningful property tax relief for homeowners would require more state funding for public education. And in three of the four task forces, local government consolidation was also directly or indirectly called for. But these are structural problems that have frankly only deepened since those reports.” See TAXES on page 2

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

HOLIDAY HOOPS: Young people playing in a scrimmage on Dec. 19 at Melody. The event kicked off the 2019-20 season of a new police youth basketball league. Read more on pages 8-9.

New 15 District commander hopes to build relationships th

Yolanda Talley wants to create a youth advisory council, among other outreach initiatives By IGOR STUDENOV Contributing Reporter

New 15th District Police Commander Yolanda Talley said she’s focused on reaching out to the community, particularly young people in Austin while continuing to fight against crime.

Talley was promoted to commander earlier this year after her predecessor, Ernest Cato, was promoted to Deputy Chief of Patrol for Area North, which includes most of the city’s North and West Side neighborhoods. The 15th District includes the portion of Austin south of Division Street and west of Cicero Avenue.

Talley has worked in the district for about two years. Before coming to the 15th District, she was a sergeant in human resources and a sergeant in the 7th District in Englewood, according to AustinTalks. Talley has also been an undercover narcotics

State Farm Mutual Automobile • Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company • Bloomington, IL • statefarm.com® Larry and his staff are licensed and together have over 75 years of State Farm experience.

See TALLEY on page 10

Larry Williams,Agent 5932 W. Lake Street Chicago, 60644 (773) 379-9010 larry.williams.b0bk@statefarm.com


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