[Peace-discuss] Township property tax proposal will be on fall ballot

[Brian Dolinar]

 Township property tax proposal will be on fall ballot By Mike
Monson<http://www.news-gazette.com/news/reporter/mmonson/> Wednesday
May 7, 2008

CHAMPAIGN – City of Champaign Township residents will be asked Nov. 4 to
approve a 2-cent increase in the township's property tax rate.

Town board members – also the Champaign City Council – voted 8-0 to place
the tax question, which would generate an additional $300,000 annually for
the township, on the fall ballot. If approved by voters, the proposal would
increase the township's overall tax rate to 5.5 cents per $100 of assessed
valuation.

The proposed tax rate increase would cost the owner of a $150,000 home
another $9 per year in property taxes.

City of Champaign Township, for the most part, covers territory coinciding
with the city of Champaign's boundaries.

Board members approved placing the question on the ballot without comment.

Township Supervisor Linda Abernathy said the increased tax income would
allow her to increase benefits to 50 disabled people receiving general
assistance/transitional assistance from the current $150 per month to the
state-recommended $223 per month. The additional funding would also allow
her to create a $42,000 emergency assistance fund whereby extremely poor
residents could receive a $225 grant once a year to deal with an economic
crisis, effective July 1, 2009.

Abernathy asked voters in November 2006 to approve a 5-cent increase in the
district's overall tax rate. But voters rejected that proposal by a 2-1
margin.

She said she proposed a smaller increase this time around because she
recognizes that residents are feeling the economic pinch.

"People are feeling the burn, the pinch," she said. "I wanted to do
something minimal enough to survive the shortfall, but not so extensive to
turn the voters off."

The township for several years has had to rely on cash reserves to meet its
obligations. Those reserves, if the tax increase is not passed, are likely
to be depleted in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Abernathy was forced to remove 80 able-bodied general assistance recipients
from the rolls on Feb. 1, 2007, because of the district's declining
financial picture. Only disabled people awaiting federal Supplemental
Security Income still receive assistance from the township, and Abernathy
cut that assistance from $212 to $100 on Feb. 1, 2007. She increased the
assistance to $150 per month on July 1.


-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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