View as PDF Chicago— Val W. Zimnicki, representing Taxpayers United of America (TUA) at a meeting of the Illinois Housing Development Authority on June 16, 2016, testified against a proposed $55 million bond issue that would help Seattle-based Security Properties rehab a low-income housing complex in DeKalb, IL.
$43 million in bonds would be issued for rehab of 414 units on the North Annie Glidden Road side of the housing development. Another $12 million is being sought to redo 120 units on the Russell Road side.
Zimnicki told the authority that TUA has members in DeKalb County, and, furthermore, that TUA opposes the proposed bond issue in principle.
“Illinois citizens are already burdened with lots of bond issue debt all over the state, and many are moving out of state,” said Zimnicki. “In addition, Illinois taxpayers already are being crushed by government-pension obligations in excess of $111 billion dollars.”
Zimnicki asked for a 30 or 60 day postponement of the board’s vote so more facts can be developed. “What’s the big rush?” he asked.
Zimnicki was supported in his anti-bond position by attorney Michael P. Coghlan of DeKalb, who is representing homeowners and businesses opposing this additional financial burden.
WOODSTOCK, IL – The Woodstock City Council has approved a special census with an eye toward certifying that the city has grown to more than 25,000 residents. If this is true, this would make Woodstock a “Home Rule Unit” and would substantially change the rules for how the city creates or changes taxes and fees in the city.
Given that Woodstock residents pay among the highest taxes in the state, and perhaps the country, citizens were concerned and Voters In Action were engaged. Leadership from Voters In Action reached out to Jim Tobin of Taxpayers United of America and have joined forces to present “Home Rule is Home Ruin”. The presentation, given by Mr Tobin, will take a closer look at what changes Home Rule brings and how they will affect local taxpayers.
View as PDF Woodstock—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the results of their updated analysis of salaries and pensions for Woodstock municipal government employees.
“Woodstock government bureaucrats are trying to seize the opportunity to steal even more of taxpayers’ hard-earned cash by adopting Home Rule for its greedy empire building,” stated Jim Tobin, TUA president.
“There are currently more than 300 full and part-time employees for a population of less 25,000! Fourteen of those employees make more than $100,000 a year and 157 of those jobs are pension eligible.”
“At least fourteen of the current Woodstock pensioners will collect more than $1 million in largely taxpayer-funded pensions, while the average Social Security (SS) beneficiary will be lucky to see about $400,000 in lifetime payments.”
“Home Rule will give the Woodstock bureaucrats the power to tax and regulate, virtually without limit, anything they want without the approval of voters through a referendum. If a measure is good for the constituents, it should stand up to a referendum. This is one of the most important controls that voters have over their local government and there is no good reason to give it up and hand that power over to bureaucrats,” urged Tobin.
“Never forget that 80% of municipal taxes, including property taxes, go to pay government employee salaries, pensions, and benefits and that number is climbing as the state continues to make necessary cuts.”
“Woodstock city officials state it would be ‘irresponsible of them to not take advantage of getting the extra $151 in shared state revenue per person’ for the city, and that the city has a history of keeping taxes low for residents by not taking the property tax extension limitation law. Just where do these officials think that ‘state revenue’ comes from? The sky? All revenue comes from us, the taxpayers.”
“To help the average taxpayer understand the problem, we list the names of the pensioners and the amounts they collect in retirement,” added Tobin. “It really hits home when people see the names of their local ‘civil servants’, people in their community that they know at least by name, and the stunning amounts they collect from taxpayers.”
“Timothy J. Clifton, retired from the Woodstock Municipal Government, tops our Woodstock list and ranks 230 in the state of Illinois with a very comfortable $112,998 annual pension! The accumulation of those payments, over a normal lifetime, will reach about $2.9 million. His contribution to that gold-plated pension was only $342,341.”
“Roscoe Stelford, III tops the list for our highest current Woodstock salary. This poor ‘civil servant’ takes in about $155,000 in salary alone! This doesn’t include the gold-plated pension and other benefits he gets!”
Click the links below to view the following data:
“We need constitutional reforms that change the Home Rule statute to leave taxing power with the taxpayers’ approval and reforms that eliminate the political pensioners as a protected, elite class,” said Tobin.
“The era of smoke and mirrors to siphon wealth from the hardest-working middle class is over. We need to send a loud and clear message that their pattern of reckless empire building is no longer acceptable. Illinois is in a financial meltdown and if we allow local officials to pick up where the state has left off, there will be few choices left for taxpayers but to revolt or vote with their feet,” concluded Tobin.
*Lifetime estimated pension payout includes 3% COLA (simple interest) and assumes life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590). Nearly all IMRF pensioners also receive Social Security benefits in addition to their IMRF pension. Any blank spaces in the data are intentional and due to government redactions or withheld data points in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.
