Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Orland Park trustee proposes restaurant tax Orland Park’s village board majority is preparing to increase taxes on its residents, both a property tax hike and a massive tax on local restaurants that the village officials defend by asserting that “it won’t just impact Orland Park residents. It will impact everyone.” That’s what they said when…
Speaker Madigan, Clerk candidate Yarbrough to keynote Arab American Forum The Arab American Democratic Club (AADC) announced this week that Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and Karen Yarbrough, the current Cook County Recorder of Deeds and now the official Democratic candidate for Cook County Clerk, will be keynote speakers at the annual Candidate’s Brunch…
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Kaegi Vows to Fix Broken Property Tax System Cook County assessor hopeful Fritz Kaegi, who bested incumbent Joseph Berrios in the Democratic primary, pledged to attendees of an Illinois Campaign for Political Reform event that the obscure yet critical office will be more transparent and accountable under his watch. “You don’t need me to tell…
31,000 Cook County seniors could qualify for lower property taxes County Treasurer Maria Pappas: 31,000 senior citizens could apply for money-saving Cook County property tax exemptions As many as 31,000 senior citizens could save hundreds of dollars immediately on their property tax bills due August 1 by applying for exemptions they previously received, Cook County…
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Rauner needs to block water rate increase bill The Illinois House and the Illinois Senate approved a new law, HB 4508, that would allow two major water companies to massively increase water rates on its customers to help them buy up smaller water companies so they can grow and profit. The sponsors used the confusing…
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CUB to host meeting in Palos Township to help consumers save money Palos Township will be hosting a Citizens Utility Board (CUB) event on May 30, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. A free mini breakfast with coffee, juice and donuts will be offered to attendees, donated by Palos Township Trustee Sharon Branigan. Branigan,…
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Madigan, House Democrats urge Fair Tax to ease Burden on Middle Class Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, House Democrats and advocates for the middle class are calling out Gov. Bruce Rauner and Republicans for refusing to consider fair tax reform that would provide relief for the middle class while making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair…
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DuPage County to dissolve North Westmont Fire Protection District The DuPage County Board voted unanimously Tuesday to initiate a process to dissolve the North Westmont Fire Protection District. When dissolution is complete, the North Westmont Fire District will be the fifth unit of local government DuPage County dissolved. The action eliminates the district’s annual tax…
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Pappas: 39,100 Property Owners Must Pay Delinquent Taxes to Avoid Sale Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, one of the most popular elected officials in the State of Illinois, cautioned Thursday there is a large list of property owners in Cook County whose properties could be sold for delinquent taxes. Pappas said that nearly half, or…
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Morrison re-elected as Cook County GOP Chairman Pro-taxpayer champion and 17th District Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison re-elected as leader of the Cook County Republican Organization. Morrison led the drive to block the oppressive soda and sweetened drink tax imposed by former Chicago Machine alderman and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Sean Morrison, the…
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Pappas: $94 million in property tax refunds available on new website Cook County property owners can recover $94.1 million in tax overpayments by going to cookcountytreasurer.com, Treasurer Maria Pappas said today. The money is unclaimed even though since 2009 nearly $544 million in overpayments has been refunded or prevented by the Treasurer’s Office. Because refund…
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Democratic Machine revives in election as big names are pushed under J.B. Pritzker defeats Kennedy who runs 3rd behind Daniel Biss for Governor. Kwame Raoul holds a lead over former Governor Pat Quinn for Illinois Attorney General. Congressman Dan Lipinski holds a tight lead over liberal challenger Marie Newman. Fritz Kaegi unseats Joe Berrios as…
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Will County Clerk race shows how little media cares about real issues The race for Will County Clerk will determine who will be responsible for maintaining the county’s records, and managing department budget costs, things the mainstream news media apparently doesn’t seem to concerned about. What they are worried about is an incident that happened…
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Rauner gets it right naming Gorman as Tollway chief Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner taps Liz Gorman to had the Illinois Tollway, a brilliant move that both helps the State of Illinois and his administration. Gorman, a former Cook County Commissioner, is a champion for fighting excessive tax increases and fighting for the rights of taxpayers….
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Liz Gorman named as new Illinois Tollway director Former Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman was appointed by Governor Bruce Rauner Thursday (Feb. 22, 2018) as the new executive director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA), replacing Greg Bedalov who Rauner appointed in 2015. Bedalov will move to the Illinois Sports Facility…
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Fioretti reaches out to suburban voters Bob Fioretti, candidate for Cook County Board president, will hold a fundraiser and meet-and-greet with residents of the suburbs on Tuesday Feb. 27, 2018. The reception will be held from 7 pm until 9 pm at the Brookfield Ale House 8900 Fairview in Brookfield, Illinois. Fioretti was an outspoken…
Town of Cicero honored for Financial Excellence, 7th Year On January 19th, 2018 the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) announced that a panel of independent reviewers has completed its examination of the Town’s Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) and has awarded the Town with the GFOA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting…
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Bannockburn School District 106 cuts tax levy Today the Bannockburn School District 106 Board of Education unanimously voted to reduce this upcoming year’s tax levy from 5,796,231 to $5,496,223. After the administration initially recommended a $100,000 decrease in the upcoming year’s tax levy, the board decided to cut the levy by $300,000, which is more…