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Archive for the ‘Overhead’ Category

Special Closed Session Meeting of the Barrington Hills Park District Board Monday, June 22nd

Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Brother, Big Red, Cellular Service, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Financial Statements, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Massbach Hounds, Open Meetings Act, Organizations, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, School Districts, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, WTF on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold a closed session meeting Monday at 6:00 PM. The sole topic on their agenda is:

  • To discuss the purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired pursuant to 2(c)(5) of the Open Meetings Act; and to discuss the setting of a price for sale or lease of property owned by the public body pursuant to 2(c)(6) of the Open Meetings Act

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.

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Unpaid contractors cloud Obama Center’s finish line

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Overhead, Politics, The Real Deal, Unions on June 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Subcontractors said they’re owed millions as the $850M presidential center prepares to open after years of cost overruns and delays | Obama Presidential Center (Obama.org, Getty)

By TRD Staff | The Real Deal

Contractors on the Obama Presidential Center say their invoices are going unpaid, reportedly missing millions in payments and jeopardizing the future of businesses.

The Obama Center has gone hundreds of millions over its original $300 million cost estimate. The 19-acre museum and library’s construction cost has ballooned over the years to a staggering $850 million, nearly tripling the projected budget.

African American Contractors Association president Omar Shareef said that a total of seven separate subcontractors have contacted him for help with pursuing missing payments in the past several months, according to Crain’s. Some of the contractors are owed seven figures. They’re willing to settle for less, as long as they can keep their businesses running.

“It’s to the point that they wished they had never done (the project),” Shareef told the outlet.

The delays and skyrocketing costs were caused in part by the pandemic and in part by a half-decade legal battle. By the time the groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2021, the cost was pegged at $830 million. The center will finally open on next Friday, the Juneteenth holiday, and the public will gain access to the work of roughly 475 subcontractors, according to the outlet.

Report continues here.

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New data: Illinois homeowners pay country’s highest property taxes

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on May 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

 

The state again had the highest residential property tax rate in the U.S. in 2024, tied with New Jersey.

By LyLena Estabine | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois remains at the top of the country in homeowner property taxes, tied with New Jersey.

Both states had an average effective rate of 1.88% of home value in 2024, more than double the national average of 0.86%.

That translates to a bill of roughly $5,452 on a house worth the 2024 Illinois median of $290,000. But the whole state isn’t affected evenly.

Residential property taxes are particularly burdensome in counties such as Kendall, McHenry, Lake and DeKalb, all four of which are among the 12 highest-rate counties in the country. Median household property taxes in those counties ranged from to $5,974 to $8,923. On top of income taxes and the highest combined state and local tax rate in the U.S., that’s a hefty bill to manage.

High taxes, particularly property taxes, were a top-two issue for 58.1% of likely Illinois voters in a recent poll. Neighboring states all have lower property tax rates, which can entice people to leave Illinois. In 2024, Illinois lost a net of nearly 12,000 people to Indiana, where the effective property tax rate was only 0.76%. Nearly a net 10,000 left for Wisconsin, with an effective property tax rate of 1.32%.

Illinois property taxes are driven by a combination of local and state decisions. Public schools are funded primarily by property taxes, but school districts are forced to rely so heavily on them in part because the state diverts a growing share of its education spending to pensions.

Report continues here.

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Noticed a surprise inside your property tax bill? – Part 2

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, BOHICA, Deception, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, OP/Ed, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, Transparency, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on May 19, 2026| 1 Comment »

 

Following up on our recent post attaching the transcript from the November 18, 2025, Board of Education meeting discussing DSEB, we thought a recent Public Comment from the April 21, 2026, District 220 Board of Education Meeting was worth publishing:

Barry Altshuler (Interim Board President): And, we have one comment today, Angela Wilcox. Welcome. Come forward.

Public Speaker, Angela Wilcox: Hi Board. It’s so nice to sit on this side of the table.

Altshuler: We miss you.

Wilcox: It is so good to see all of you guys, you all look great. I miss seeing you. It’s very nostalgic coming up here. And, President Altshuler, thank you for allowing me to speak, I showed up a minute late. I didn’t realize the new policy as far as signing up before 3:00 or before 6:00, but it’s distracting me.

But, I just wanted to say something tonight that is absolutely nothing that my former Board Members, Leah, Barry, Steve, heard me say before, which is to talk about DSEB borrowing. And, I know that I bored you guys to death with my discussions and we all voted together to not do DSEB borrowing for a couple of years that I was on the Board. And so just, you know, kind of speak to some people that haven’t heard me drone on about this before.

I just wanted to take a minute. There have been a couple of emails that came around today. I know that you guys aren’t voting on DSEB today and I, you know, sadly, and yet kind of happily, don’t really follow all of your Board meeting schedules anymore. So I didn’t know when you were voting, which is, which is on me.

But just as, you know, as a, as a community taxpayer and you know, someone whose kids attended 220, you know, it is, it’s, it’s something that I think is important because it’s, it’s an issue that a lot of constituents don’t really understand, like, what is DSEB borrowing?

And, I think that there’s a reason why, you know, if you Google this or put into, you know, ChatGPT, it’s called a backdoorreferendum. Basically a way to borrow money without having to go to the public and asking them for permission with a referendum to allow, you know, to borrow some money for capital projects.

And, I think that, unfortunately, and just, you know, the way that the optics are, when, you know this, when a DSEB borrowing comes out at the same time that constituents now are seeing the new, you know, the Referendum dollars coming out on our tax bills, it kind of hits a chord like, oh, wait a minute, what’s going on?

You know, there was, there was District resources spent for, you know, attorneys and for campaigns to make this Referendum go forward. It was successful and community members volunteering and then that happened. But then on top of it, then there’s a DSEB that’s put forward as well.

And, I know that there are always projects with as many buildings as we have and I know that we’ve always been short funded for summer projects. But, I just would encourage two things maybe going forward: One, if you can avoid DSEB borrowing in the future; I think that it was such a good practice that the Board really came together and united on as, you know, trying to have this as a goal, you know, for a few years. And, and then two, just to, you know, maybe explain to the public what this all includes so that there’s transparency and showing fiscal responsibility and just so that there isn’t the chatter because, you know…

Altshuler: Thank you.

Wilcox: … the optics are always important.

Altshuler: Thank you so much. Thank you.

To review the YouTube recording of these comment, click here.

Related: “Noticed a surprise inside your property tax bill?”

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District 220 Board of Education meets tonight

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, District 220 referendum, Education, His Master's Voice, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Look For The Union Label, Mad Cows, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on May 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

  • FOIA Reports
  • Revised Personnel Report
  • Kelsey Road House Parking Lot Amendment
  • Consideration to Approve BSEO Job Reclassification
  • Consideration to Approve Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract (GESC) and Contract Amendment with Greenlight Design Partners for the District LED Lighting Conversion Project

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be live streamed on the district YouTube channel.

Related: “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency”

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Illinois combined state, local tax rate tops the country

Posted in Cost of Living, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on May 13, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Brennan Park | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinoisans continue to pay the highest combined state and local tax rate in the country, according to WalletHub.

Effective state and local tax rates totaled almost 17% for a median Illinois household last year, compared with the national average of just over 11.02% and higher than No. 2 New York, at 14.95%.

The median amount of state and local taxes for an Illinois household was $12,538 last year, fourth-highest in the country. The national median was around $8,949. (These amounts use a different household measurement.)

Illinois’ burden is driven by property, sales and excise taxes that exceed national averages and those in neighboring states.

Property taxes are especially high, with an effective rate of 1.92% of the value of a typical home, more than double the national median of 0.89%.

Sales taxes are also elevated in Illinois, with a 6.25% state rate and a nearly 9% combined state and local rate on average.

Article continues here.

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Commentary: Illinois toll hike undermines Pritzker’s affordability message

Posted in Aunt Blabby, Daily Herald, Deception, Fat Bastard, Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois Tollway, Look For The Union Label, Overhead, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on May 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Matt Paprocki

By Matt Poprocki | Posted to the Daily Herald

Gov. JB Pritzker is marketing himself as a champion of affordability. A proposal to impose the largest passenger toll increase in state history cuts directly against that message.

The plan would raise tolls 45 cents for passenger vehicles and 30% for commercial vehicles. If approved, it would generate an additional $1 billion annually starting in 2027, with automatic increases tied to inflation every two years beginning in 2029, capped at 4% annually.

State leaders have framed the proposal as forward-looking, but in reality it’s another cash grab — for a system that doesn’t need the money.

State leaders approved the potential toll hike in November 2025 to secure labor support for a broader transit funding agreement. But the tollway does not need more money: Toll revenues have exceeded operating and maintenance costs for decades. In 2024 alone, the tollway collected nearly $1.44 billion — the most in its history.

With cost of living a top concern in Illinois, residents and businesses do not need something disconnected from necessity or announced projects.

The Illinois Tollway board has a choice. It can approve a record-setting unnecessary increase that drivers and businesses cannot afford, or it can decline the increase and recognize that Illinoisans already pay enough. Nothing will change; the state still has enough money to run road projects and has a surplus sitting in tollway reserves right now.

Since 2019, Illinois drivers have paid roughly $1,500 more in gas taxes and vehicle fees. Higher tolls would affect not only commuters, but ripple through the broader economy.

Commercial tolls are set to rise by 30%, and those costs will be passed on to consumers through higher prices on everyday goods. Nearly everything purchased in Illinois travels by truck at some point, making this toll increase a broad, indirect tax on households statewide.

The proposal is even more troubling because of its automatic inflation-linked increases. That lets lawmakers avoid future accountability. Costs will simply rise in the background, removed from public debate or oversight.

This approach raises serious concerns about how transportation dollars are being managed. Voters approved the 2016 transportation “lockbox” amendment to ensure money would be used appropriately. While this proposal may comply with that framework, it undermines its spirit by layering on new, permanent revenue streams instead of emphasizing the efficiency and restraint voters were looking for.

Illinois has seen this pattern before. In 2019, Pritzker and lawmakers tied the state’s gas tax to inflation, creating automatic annual increases. The result has been one of the highest gas taxes in the nation and billions in surplus revenue. Now, the same approach is proposed for tolls, despite clear evidence that existing funds are more than sufficient.

Spiking fees beyond what’s needed for road maintenance is unfair to drivers, who should pay only for the actual cost of maintaining infrastructure. Using fees collected from residents and businesses to set aside billions to satisfy unions is directly opposed to improving affordability and economic growth in Illinois.

State leaders could pursue meaningful relief. Georgia and Indiana implemented temporary gas tax holidays to help offset rising fuel costs. With Illinois’ transportation funds running a surplus, lawmakers could provide similar relief without jeopardizing long-term funding.

The board responsible for approving the hike is composed of Pritzker appointees, and the governor himself sits on it as an ex-officio member. If the increase moves forward, it will do so with the backing of the same leadership that claims to want to ease the burden on families.

Will Pritzker allow another unnecessary cost increase on Illinoisans, or will he step in and stop it?

For a governor who says he’s focused on affordability, the answer should be clear.

     – Matt Paprocki is the president and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute

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How much is the new Illinois gas tax hike?

Posted in Aunt Blabby, Clown Car, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Deception, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois Tollway, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Taxes, Unions on May 7, 2026| 1 Comment »

On July 1 the state tax will hit almost 50 cents a gallon. Lawmakers made yearly automatic.

By Dylan Sharkey | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois drivers will see another gas tax increase July 1.

The state tax will rise to 49.6 cents per gallon because of the automatic annual inflation increase built into the 2019 “Rebuild Illinois” infrastructure program signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

That means Illinois drivers will continue paying among the highest gas taxes in the country. Indiana and Georgia gave residents a gas tax holiday from high prices because of the war in Iran.

The average price of a gallon of gas in Illinois was $4.986 on May 6, up from about $3.40 a year ago, according to the AAA.

When Pritzker doubled the state gas tax from 19 cents to 38 cents in 2019, lawmakers also ensured Illinoisans would face automatic inflation-linked increases every year without another recorded vote.

Once federal, state and local taxes are combined, many Illinois drivers pay more than 85 cents per gallon in taxes alone at the pump. Only California and Michigan rival Illinois for the highest total gas taxes in the country.

Article continues here.

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Mayor Johnson determined to block Bears’ move to Arlington Heights

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb Bunny, Look For The Union Label, New Normal?, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Springfield, Taxes, The Chicago Way, Unions on May 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Rendering of the proposed Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights. | Provided by Manica Architecture

By Fran Spielman | Chicago Sun*Times

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday mounted the legislative equivalent of a goal-line stand against the Bears’ quest for the property tax break needed to pave the way for a domed stadium in Arlington Heights.

Johnson questioned why any lawmaker from Chicago would even think about providing a massive tax break for a professional sports team valued at nearly $9 billion, while ignoring the need for what he calls progressive revenue to increase school funding and help working people struggling to make ends meet.

“If we’re asking anyone to tighten the belt, we should look at whose belt is exploding — and that’s the ultra-rich. As their bellies get fat and our people are starving, this is not the time to balance the budget off the backs of working people,” the mayor said at his weekly news conference.

“The type of tax structure that they would set up for large corporations and billionaires without a clear pathway to provide certainty as well as equity for everyday working people, I believe that’s a mismatch there. And quite frankly, the infrastructure they’re even discussing in the suburbs — those infrastructure needs have been present on the lakefront for a very long time.”

Hours before joining fellow Chicago-area mayors in Springfield, where he has had little success, Johnson made it clear that he would use whatever political muscle he has to block the so-called megaprojects bill now before the Illinois Senate after clearing the Illinois House on April 22.

Though Chicago is no longer part of the conversation to build a domed stadium needed to keep the Bears in Illinois and stave off a move to Northwest Indiana, Johnson is still holding out hope to keep the Bears in the city.

Article continues here.

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Barry Fript Memorial Horse Show Saturday at Barrington Hills Park District

Posted in Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Equestrian Commission, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Overhead, Property Taxes, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Unions, VBHPD on May 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Click here for info including costs.

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