State grant provides millions in tax relief for South Suburbs

SPRINGFIELD— Property taxes could be lower for some homeowners and business owners in South Suburban communities thanks to a new state grant program that seeks to lift some of the burden on school districts that are heavily taxed.

“This grant brings needed relief to struggling communities paying higher property taxes to provide a quality education for our students, and many times students still don’t receive adequate resources,” Sims said. “The program will provide necessary relief to help keep families in Illinois and boost the economy.”

Local school districts that are eligible for the Property Tax Relief Grant include: 

• Community Consolidated School District 168, Sauk Village
• Dolton School District 149
• Hoover-Schrum Memorial School District 157, Calumet City
• Lansing School District 158
• Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215, Lansing

The Property Tax Relief Grant helps school districts with high tax rates relative to other school districts with an opportunity to lower the property tax burden on local taxpayers with the state replacing a portion of foregone tax revenue with state funds.

The amount the school districts receive will be included in future calculations of those districts.

More information on the Property Tax Relief Grant and a listing of each eligible school district can be found at www.ISBE.net/proptaxrelief.

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Ethics Commission Seeks More Accountability for Legislative Wrongdoers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Members of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform sought input on what could have been done to prevent recent high-profile conflicts of interest and what more must be done to hold lawmakers accountable at a hearing Thursday.

“We’re here to make systemic change, close loopholes, and root out opportunities for corrupt behavior that have been identified in recent media reports and investigations,” said state Rep. Greg Harris, who co-chairs the commission. “Yesterday, the governor talked about restoring public trust and cleaning up government. He specifically talked about dealing with disclosures of conflicts of interest, revolving door laws, and limitations on lobbying. Looking around the room as the governor talked, I was happy to see he got a rousing ovation for these three items. From the House, from the Senate, from Democrats, from Republicans. That’s a very good sign for our work. But these proposals are only as good as their details, and it is our job to fill in those details.”

Brad Cole of the Illinois Municipal League and former Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon encouraged members to update and improve the financial interest disclosures legislators are currently required to file. Cole reiterated the need for more complete lobbyist disclosures, including disclosure of lobbyists being paid to influence local governments. Aside from state government, only a handful of Illinois’ nearly 7,000 units of government have any kind of disclosure requirements for those seeking to influence decision-making by public officials.

“People deserve to know that their lawmakers are voting in their communities’ best interests, not in their own interest,” said Sen. Elgie Sims, co-chair of the commission. “We look forward to continuing to engage with experts and stakeholders in these critical discussions.”