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Archive for the ‘The Center Square’ Category

Sales tax hike to hit Cook, collar counties on Aug. 1

Posted in BOHICA, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on July 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

Consumers in six Illinois counties will be soon be paying higher sales taxes.

Transit funding legislation signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last December provided for the 0.25% increase to take effect on Aug. 1 in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.

The tax hike is projected to generate $478 million a year as part of the $1.5 billion in annual transit funding provided in Senate Bill 2111.

State Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, said suburban taxpayers are bailing out the Chicago Transit Authority.

“We’re giving them a lifeline of money that we’re not getting anything in return for,” Reick said.

The Center Square asked Reick if higher taxes might drive people out of the area.

“Here in McHenry County, we’re obviously on the border with Wisconsin. I think people are going to make economic choices to drive up to Walworth, in my case, to buy gas and things like that,” Reick said.

SB 2111 also gave the Illinois Tollway Board the power to raise tolls.

Before the bill passed, state Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, said he appreciated the desire for a state-of-the-art mass transit system.

“I don’t know how, though, we justify spending more money than we need after $2 billion of tax increases in the last few years,” Ugaste said.

Report continues here.

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Illinois may bring early warning of toll costs ahead of proposed rate hike

Posted in Fat Bastard, Illinois Tollway, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, The Chicago Way on July 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A roadside sign reads “Welcome to Illinois, The Land of Lincoln,” next to highway signs for Chicago and Indianapolis. | Photo: Sarah Roderick-Fitch / The Center Square

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

While Illinois contemplates raising prices on tollways across the state, one state lawmaker wants increased transparency for drivers.

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, announced he plans to introduce the “Truth in Toll Transparency Act,” which he said will give drivers on Illinois tollways a more advanced warning of the cost to enter a toll.

He told The Center Square he wanted to bring the measure forward because drivers often aren’t made aware of the actual cost of a toll until it’s too late to turn around.

“You will see a sign that says ‘toll ahead’ or ‘paid toll,’ but it does not define what the cost of that toll is going to be on the majority of tollways,” McLaughlin said. “If you’re going to continue to charge us for the tolls, the least you should expect would be to get an exact exact dollar amount before you enter a toll point, and that’s not happening today.”

McLaughlin said the proposed law may come at a small cost to update and place new signage near tollways, but he said that cost would come alongside the tollway already needing to update signs if it approves a rate hike.

McLaughlin noted he doesn’t feel proposed toll increases, which are set to be voted on by Illinois Tollway officials in the coming months, are necessary right now. The increase would be 45 cents per toll for IPASS users and a 30% rate hike for commercial IPASS users.

“To me this is just another opportunity to demand transparency from those in Illinois that have a spending addiction, but have a transparency problem and if you’re going to hit up me and my neighbors for these numbers, let us know in advance before we enter into the toll,” McLaughlin said.

Report continues here.

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(Meanwhile) Income tax CUT on Missouri ballot; Illinois may see more outmigration

Posted in Cost of Living, Fat Bastard, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on July 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Missouri state flag flies alongside the U.S. flag and the St. Louis city flag. | Photo: Tom Bastin / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from Original

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

A ballot measure in front of Missouri voters next month could give some Illinois residents in the Metro East area a reason to move across the Mississippi River if it passes.

The measure, which will be present on ballots in the state’s primary election Aug. 4, proposes an amendment to the Missouri Constitution that could phase out income tax entirely.

Andrew Wilford, director of state policy at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, explained the ballot measure would allow the state legislature to eliminate income tax by raising other revenue sources, such as an increase to sales tax.

“They haven’t officially created the structure for that, but that would be the general idea,” Wilford said. “Currently, Missouri has a top tax rate of about 4.7%. A few years ago that was relatively low for the region, but a lot of the state’s neighbors have cut taxes pretty significantly in the intervening years.”

Bryce Hill, senior director of fiscal and economic analysis for the Illinois Policy Institute, noted there’s a larger trend, and Missouri is following other states in reducing, flattening or eliminating income taxes.

“Many states did that – started this process after the COVID-19 pandemic, when state tax revenues didn’t decline as much as anticipated and then subsequently grew very rapidly,” Hill said. “Illinois did not have that luxury. A lot of that excess revenue went to pay for previous debts.”

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Public pushback to Flock cameras spark variety of government responses

Posted in Aunt Blabby, Big Brother, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Roads & Bridges Committee, The Center Square, The New Normal?, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Transparency, Unions, VBHPD on July 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Flock cameras such as the one pictured above have been installed at border entrances/exits of all Barrington Hills roads.

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

Across the country, opposition to license plate cameras created by Flock Safety is mounting. Major cities and small communities alike are deciding to end their contracts with the company – Illinois being no exception.

Cities in Illinois, such as Oak Park and Evanston, have chosen to end contracts with the company, even as police departments have said they’re a useful tool in law enforcement.

In Springfield, aldermen were at odds in recent weeks over an ordinance to renew their contract with Flock for two years, costing taxpayers half a million dollars.

On Tuesday, council passed the measure while allowing for more transparency and regular public reports on the cameras’ effectiveness.

“It’s some simple things, and I’m just asking that to be standard and be given to us on multiple things. Transparency, equitable – making sure that these things are fair – and also reporting back to us so we as a council can, come budget time, look to address these things,” said Alderman Shawn Gregory.

Gregory was opposed to renewing the contract, but he said he was able to draft a plan for transparency based on guidance from organizations like the ACLU.

The council negotiated changes with the police department during the meeting, and passed it with two members opposed to any stipulations.

In contrast, the Madison, Wisconsin, area recently ended their partnership with Flock over data privacy risks and outside access.

Article continues here.

Editorial note: CNET published an excellent article last month titled, “When Flock Surveillance Comes to Your Town: Everything to Know About These Cameras.”

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New Bears bill introduced for Arlington Heights

Posted in Politics, The Center Square on June 17, 2026| 2 Comments »

The Arlington Park Metra stop adjacent to property owned by the Chicago Bears and the potential home to a new stadium in Arlington Heights, Illinois. | Jon Styf / The Center Square

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

A state representative has filed new legislation aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the Bears have to decide what they want first.

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, filed the Taxpayer and Investment Protection Act on Monday.

House Bill 5797 applies to private developments with more than $2.5 billion of investments located in counties with more than one million people.

The proposal calls for the state to spend $1.2 billion on infrastructure for a Bears-owned stadium and surrounding development.

McLaughlin said the bill includes a negotiated property tax up front, based on the Bears’ $200 million land purchase in Arlington Heights.

“What that would be going forward, whether it’s three or four or $500 million, they set a 2.5% tax rate, and that goes up each and every year for 30 years,” McLaughlin told The Center Square.

McLaughlin said a third-party auditor would review the Bears, the state and local taxing bodies to prevent cost shifting.

Article continues here.

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Presidential poll numbers show Pritzker at 2%

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Fat Bastard, Look For The Union Label, Pension Funding, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, The Center Square on June 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Photo: BlueRoomStream / Screenshot

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

A new public opinion poll says Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker remains low on the list of voters’ preferred choices in the 2028 Democratic Party primary election for president.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, a nonpartisan public opinion polling firm, from June 1-4, 2026 and surveyed registered voters nationally.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris finished first with 27% of the vote among 1,013 Democrats who responded. 17% said they were not sure.

Next was California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 14%, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 11% and New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 8%.

Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear both came in at 2%.

Report continues here.

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Illinois lawmakers give raises to diversity commissioners they criticized

Posted in 220, 300, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on June 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Alexandria Wilson, executive director of the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion, was grilled by lawmakers during a budget hearing, April 15, 2026. | Photo: Jared Strong / The Center Square

By Jared Strong | The Center Square

State lawmakers failed to reform the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion this legislative session despite bipartisan criticism of its performance and calls to disband it.

Moreover, the seven highly paid commissioners who lead it are getting raises along with numerous other executive branch appointees, and their requested $5.6 million budget was approved.

The budget allocation and pay increases were included in the early Monday morning votes to ratify a new, $55.9 billion state budget.

And they belie the considerable critiques that lawmakers aired during public budget hearings in recent months. House lawmakers initially said they intended to summon the commission’s staff for a third hearing to continue their questions, but that didn’t happen.

Lawmakers have seized on The Center Square’s investigation of the commission to question their salaries of about $150,000, given that they are allowed to work side jobs for extra pay and have overseen a sizable decline in the number of businesses owned by racial minorities, women and people with disabilities that are certified by the state.

Certified businesses are preferred for state contracts. The primary goal of the commission — which was created in 2022 — is to increase the amount of state contract money that is awarded to the businesses.

State Rep. Brad Halbrook, a Shelbyville Republican, said it was wrong to approve more money for the commissioners without further review. He is among those who want to eliminate the commission.

“Lawmakers were asked to fund an agency without receiving the additional scrutiny and answers that many members believed were necessary,” he told The Center Square. “In a state facing significant fiscal challenges, that is not how responsible budgeting should work.”

No Republicans voted to approve the new budget.

Report continues here.

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(Please) WATCH: Experts say increased spending doesn’t mean better students

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Education, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, The Center Square, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on May 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Photo: RDNE Stock project / Pexels

By Esther Wickham | The Center Square

Spending more taxpayer dollars doesn’t make kids smarter, according to experts.

As K-12 test scores and student proficiency rates continue to decline nationwide, education experts question whether increased education funding is improving student outcomes or merely contributing to inefficiencies within the public school system.

National Assessment of Educational Progress data released in 2024 show that the average reading score for 12th-grade students fell three points since 2019 and is 10 points lower than the first assessment in 1992. Average math scores for 12th graders have also declined by three points since 2019.

Critics argue the issue is not a lack of funding, but how education dollars are being spent

“We don’t have an education funding problem. We have an education spending problem,” Ryan Walters, CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, told The Center Square.

Walters said increased funding has often gone toward administrative bloat rather than students and teachers. He said schools should be raising academic standards, improving accountability and implementing school choice programs to give parents more control over their children’s education.

“School choice is a huge factor in this. We need that universally across the country so that if schools are low performing and they don’t want to shape up, parents should be able to take their kids somewhere else,” Walters said.

Please read more and watch a video here.

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Consumer advocates say Nicor’s rate hike is unreasonable, profit-driven

Posted in BOHICA, Cost of Living, Deception, Politics, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on May 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A natural gas stove burner produces a blue flame while in use. Photo: KWON JUNHO / Unsplash

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

Consumer advocates have signaled heavy opposition to a proposed $221 million rate hike by Nicor Gas, arguing that the request is excessive, charging Illinoisans over five times what’s needed.

The request trailed just weeks behind the Illinois Commerce Commission’s approval of a $167.8 million hike last year. It would also be the sixth jump in delivery costs in the past decade.

Experts on the matter from the Citizens Utility Board, Illinois PIRG, and the Environmental Defense Fund came together early Monday to outline their opposition to the rate hike.

The same experts have also shared testimony to the ICC, which must approve or deny requested utility rate hikes before they can take effect.

Nicor’s spending has significantly increased since 2015 – mostly attributed to a state law that required the replacement of old delivery pipes. Despite the law’s sunset and all replacements having been completed by 2018, critics say the company’s spending has only continued to trend upward.

According to Jim Chilsen of the Citizen’s Utility Board, the proposed increase would add to the financial burden for all Nicor customers, 200,000 of whom are behind on their bills by $74 million total, as of last month.

“When the supply side of bills is so volatile, it just adds to the pain when you have a company like Nicor Gas going on a spending spree over the last decade and going before the commission to ask for six separate rate hikes. That’s been a hardship,” Chilsen said.

Report continues here.

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Convicted former Illinois Speaker gives Pritzker advice (from prison)

Posted in Economy, Education, Fat Bastard, Politics, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on May 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Rich Hein, Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

Quick Hits | The Center Square

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan – from federal prison over corruption charges – penned an op-ed this week calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to accept the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program.

The program, which Pritzker has been reluctant to opt the state into, would allow people to deduct up to $1,700 from their federal taxes if they donate to a qualifying K-12 scholarship granting program.

Republicans in Springfield also called on Pritzker to opt in this week.

Both Madigan and the Republicans argued the governor is putting politics over the needs of citizens.

Find more news here.

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