View release as a PDF
CHICAGO–The President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today urged all voters in Evanston-Skokie School Dist. 65 to vote “NO” on the March 20 property tax increase referendum, adding, “Don’t build palaces for the bureaucrats.”
“The salaries and benefits of government-school bureaucrats and teachers in Evanston-Skokie School Dist. 65 are some of the most extravagant in the state,” said Jim Tobin, TUA President. “Now these same bureaucrats and teachers want another property tax increase on top of Dist. 65 homeowners’ already-high property taxes.”
“80% of Evanston-Skokie School Dist. 65 spending goes for salaries and benefits. The administrators and teachers get rich, with no benefit whatever to the students. Dist. 65 administrator, Hardy Murphy, gets a whopping annual salary (as of 6/30/11) of $229,662. Administrator Susan Schultz pulls in a hefty annual salary of $178,006.”
“Retired administrators and teachers have become pension millionaires. Robert Campbell receives an annual pension of $114,945, and with a total pension contribution of only $52,208, already has collected $2,022,377 in total pension payments. Annett Grubman receives an annual pension of $105,132, and with a total pension contribution of only $81,094, already has collected $1,493,452 in total pension payments.”
“School Dist. 65 mouthpieces state that the property tax increase will be ‘only’ $32 per $100,000 assessed valuation of a home, but if approved, the property tax increase for an average home in Evanston, instead of the claimed $127 per year, will actually be three times that much, or more. Make no mistake about it, this is an annual property tax hike of $400 on an average Evanston home, not $127.”
“Politicians and their government-school backers are notorious for scheduling property tax increase referenda during primaries, when voter-turnout is low. This March 20, if only 10% of voters turn out, the Dist. 65 bureaucrats and teachers, who will be out in force, will be able to pass this property tax increase easily.”
“Taxpayers United of America has defeated 192 property tax increase referenda since 1977, including a Dist. 65 property tax increase referendum in 1979.”
CHICAGO–The president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today announced that the taxpayer organization is opposing 7 tax-increase referenda that will appear on the March 20 ballot in Illinois.
“This is the largest number of tax-increase referenda appearing on a single date we have opposed since 1982,” said Jim Tobin, TUA President. “Our members have defeated more than 100 home rule referenda since 1980.”
“We are opposing the home-rule unlimited-taxing-power referenda that Clarendon Hills, Itasca, Princeton, Prospect Heights, Lynwood, and Merrionette Park are attempting to con their voters into accepting.”
“These relatively small municipalities are already paying their so-called public servants huge salaries, and if voters make the mistake of adopting home-rule unlimited taxing power, homeowners would be exempt from the current 5% property tax cap, and will be subject to property tax increases of any amount, at any time. In addition, home rule would allow local governments to impose new taxes in businesses, gasoline, groceries, parking, and almost anything else.”
“These local governments want to line their employees’ pockets with even more taxpayer dollars. When these overpaid government employees retire, their generous salaries will qualify them for lavish, gold-plated pensions.”
“Voters in these municipalities need to be informed that 80% of their local tax dollars go to pay the salaries and benefits of their local government employees. That’s a huge percentage.”
“Clarendon Hills’ Fire Chief, Brian Leahy, for example, pulled in a gross salary (2010) of $199,128 a year. More than 10 police pensions are over $30,000 a year. Former Police Chief, Thomas Reasoner, receives a whopping $65,000 a year pension while at the same time getting paid for a Deputy Director position at the North East Multi-Regional Training Center.”
“Nine retired government-employees in Itasca have annual pensions of over $50,000 a year.”
“The seventh referenda TUA is opposing is a property-tax hike proposed by Evanston School Dist. 65, which would raise local property taxes to build a new palatial government-school building and add to existing schools.” TUA has defeated 192 property tax increase referenda since 1977.
CHICAGO–A decision on Friday, March 2, by Judge Leroy K. Martin Jr. of the Cook County Circuit Court, Chancery Division, allowed the lawsuit of plaintiffs Anthony Peraica, former Cook County Commissioner and concerned taxpayer in Riverside-Brookfield, and Taxpayers United of America, (“TUA”) one of the largest taxpayer organizations in America, to proceed in amended form against Riverside-Brookfield School Dist. 208.
The suit challenged the electioneering activities used by Riverside-Brookfield School District 208 school board in its unsuccessful attempt to have the voters approve a property tax increase referendum on April 5, 2011. Attorney Andrew B. Spiegel is representing the plaintiffs in this case.
Dist. 208 attorneys had asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, which if granted, would have left an appeal as the only avenue for the plaintiffs.
After hearing oral arguments, Judge Martin retired to his chambers to study the matter, after which he denied the school board’s motion to dismiss with prejudice. Part of the plaintiff’s motion was denied, and part was allowed to proceed in amended form.
The judge expressed his concern regarding the gravity of the alleged electioneering activities of the school board, and gave the plaintiffs until March 30 to file an amended complaint.
The next hearing of the lawsuit is scheduled for April 5.
“Judge Martin did a very thorough and impartial job,” said Christina Tobin, TUA Vice President. “In my opinion, the actions of School Board 208 were so egregious that justice is sure to prevail in this case.”
