Talking Taxes: Property Taxes Affect Local Elected Officials, Too

Yorkville Patch skimmed the tax bills for 10 local officials - and one frequent candidate. You can probably relate to their situations.

If you’re frustrated that your tax bill has gone up or remained about the same as your home’s value has dipped, fear not: Many of your local elected representatives are in the same boat. Yorkville Patch skimmed tax bills for 10 county board members, Yorkville aldermen, and District 115 board members – and one perpetual candidate. Two saw small decreases when comparing their 2010 tax bill to this year’s, while two saw small increases and five saw increases of 9 percent or more.     Meanwhile, all saw their home’s assessed value drop in the same time period. Four saw their assessed values drop by 15 percent or more between their 2010 tax bill and this year’s bill. (We are paying taxes based on the 2011 equalized assessed value this year…

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Jillian Duchnowski

6:56 am on Saturday, May 19, 2012

A third comment left on the Yorkville Patch Facebook page: It doesn't matter how many people are in the same boat, there is always going to be a few who are not doing their fair share of the rowing...   more ›

Updated: Oswego Firefighter Running Against Toftoy for Coroner

We added comments from incumbent Coroner Ken Toftoy on Wednesday afternoon.

No Change to County Board Members' Health Insurance

Push for future county board members to pay full insurance premiums if they elect to use the county's plans failed.

An effort by out-going Kendall County board members to have future county board members pay the full premium for their health insurance failed Tuesday. Finance Committee Chair Anne Vickery pushed for the change, as county board members presently can choose medical benefits at rates similar to those offered other county employees. The proposed change would have gone into effect Dec. 1. “I never looked at this position on the board as a financial gain, that’s for sure,” Vickery said, adding that she expects the county’s budget only will get tighter in the next few years. Vickery criticized Yorkville officials for borrowing $400,000 from the county to fund its portion of the River Road bridge project while budgeting upward of $150,000 for …

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Kendall County Board Gives Coroner Small Raises

Salary will hop from $56,244 to $57,088 on Dec. 1.

If Coroner Ken Toftoy wins re-election in November, he’ll get a few slight raises during what may be his final term. The Kendall County Board voted, 5-4, Tuesday morning to bump the coroner’s salary from $56,244 to $57,088 on Dec. 1. Then, the salary will increase to $57,944 on Dec. 1, 2013, and remain that way for at least 3 years. That salary is lower than the $87,454 the county clerk and circuit clerk make annually, according to The Beacon-News. County Board member Bob “H.D.” Davidson argued for a higher salary. He said increasing the salary might attract more candidates in four years, since Toftoy has said he might retire at the end of his next term. Oswego firefighter Mike Dabney has announced he’s planning to run as an independent …

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Political Rewind: Pensions, Health Care Take Center Stage in Illinois

It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.

Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. In a week foreshadowing drama to come in this legislative session’s final weeks, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring retired government workers to pay for their health insurance.  Meanwhile, Chicago's mayor weighed in on the state's pension crisis, a state representative accused of bribery proclaimed his innocence and a College Illinois! employee was accused of insider investing. House, Senate pass retiree health care payment bill  Illinois pays more than $800 million annually for the health care of state retirees, 90 percent of whom pay nothing toward their health-…

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Grant Could Update Kendall County Nature Museum

The Kendall County Forest Preserve District is seeking a grant for $150,000 to $175,000 for the Laws of Nature center.

Fewer Hours Possible for Bristol Post Office

The location is among thousands slated for reduced retail hours

The Bristol Post Office - as well as locations in Millbrook and Kaneville - likely will remain open with fewer retail hours, federal leaders announced Wednesday. The U.S. Postal Service had planned to close 3,700 locations after Tuesday but switched course this week amid an outcry from rural postal customers, some of whom worried about the delivery of prescription medication, according to an Associated Press article that appeared on the Huffington Post. Under the new proposal, more than 13,000 facilities could have their retail service hours slashed, althought at least 4,000 rural facilities would maintain full operations, according to the Associated Press article. The Bristol Post Office, 11 Cannonball Trail, Bristol, could be reduced …

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Yorkville Aldermen Turn Down Electric Aggregation

City leaders voted down an ordinance allowing the city to administer the plan.

Voters supported electric aggregation by a 60 percent majority in the March election, but aldermen turned the lights out on the concept Tuesday. Aldermen voted, 4-3, against an ordinance allowing the city to administer the plan. Under electric aggregation, the electric loads of those who do not opt out would be combined, with the city acting as a broker to try to negotiate cheaper power rates. The plan is made possible by the deregulation of Exelon, parent company of ComEd, because the power giant is no longer the sole provider of electricity in Northern Illinois. If aldermen had passed the ordinance, the city would have sought bids from ComEd's competitors. Voting against it were Ward 1 Alderman Carlo Colosimo, Ward 3 Alderman Chris …

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It all comes out in the wash

1:02 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012

Two other areas to address to help all of us who just received our taxes: Stop the Health Care benifit for Alderman- they could have opted out but did not Put some rules around the Senior Garbage that we end up paying for. No rules only you have to be 65 and live in Yorkville to pay 1.00 every 2 months. Even if the senior makes more than you...nice....a program with no rules.   more ›