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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Property taxes are a form of local taxation by
3taxing bodies such as school districts, municipalities, park
4districts, library boards, and other such units of local
5government; and
 
6    WHEREAS, No property tax dollars are paid to the state
7government; and
 
8    WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Revenue,
9about 62 percent of property tax bills go to funding school
10districts in Illinois; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Property taxes also fund police and fire
12protection services, as well as park district programs and
13local projects; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The state legislature can pass laws freezing
15property tax rates, but such a one-size-fits-all legislation
16may unjustly hurt some local communities while leaving some
17units of government with the excessive surpluses; and
 
18    WHEREAS, A property tax freeze applies to the total
19property taxes collected by taxing districts, but does not mean
20the property taxes paid by an individual homeowner will be

 

 

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1frozen; and
 
2    WHEREAS, A property tax freeze leaves municipalities,
3school districts, police services, fire protection services,
4and other local government units without a means to collect
5additional revenue lost due to the freeze; and
 
6    WHEREAS, These units of local governments, when facing
7increasing expenses during a property tax freeze, will be
8forced to implement cost-cutting measures, such as reducing the
9teaching staff and police force and eliminating programs;
10therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that by July 1, 2019, each
13unit of Government that receives property taxes should, during
14a regularly scheduled or special meeting with proper public
15notice, conduct a public forum to discuss the specific effects
16of a permanent property tax freeze or a property tax freeze for
17one, two, or five years; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That each unit of government should make every
19effort to fully provide projections of both revenue and
20expenses with a correlating analysis of services and personnel
21that would likely be impacted in order for the public to more
22fully appreciate the effects of a property tax freeze on each

 

 

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1taxing body.