TP Mom ...Thanks for replying... I don't feel so alone.... but I am still miserable and wonder what is next to slap us in the face. We contested also back in 2010, the re-assessment stated that we have a fireplace. FUNNY! I begged then to show me THE FIREPLACE! They took it off the description, but did not lower the bill. In all honesty, I feel we are paying for all of the empty retail spaces that are NOT generating revenue. BUILD AND THEY WILL COME! HA! Now the village has ok'd the massive APARTMENT COMPLEX on South St with RETAIL SPACE below. 'RENT' starting at $1,600.00 a month! (and the mention of section 8 if this does not fly.) What does downtown have to offer anymore? A train station! I have lived in TP since 1952, I wish I could leave.

It's time for each taxing District to look at their finances. Resident will not be able to afford these homes. Wether its 500, 600, 700, 800.. a month real estate tax's is unreasonable. School Districts needs to increase class size. Change pension formula's and cut down on administrative costs. That's why we elect trustee's to look at these line items.

Thank You so much Mr Casper for the explaination. Who do we contact to fight this? As you put it "keep up the pressure", please tell us who do we pressure? It sounds like this is even going to get worse! More people need to know about this. How do we spread the word?

Dean,

I'm not sure if I agree with Madigan's solution, but I do agree with his intent which is to push the local school districts to be more responsible for the costs that they cause the state to incur with the pension system. There are way too many teachers and administrators that make six figure salaries in the last couple of years of their tenure, and then are set for life with the way the IL teacher pension system is set up. Check out the website familytaxpayers.org to look at salaries in some of the local districts. The public sector did away with defined monthly benefit pensions almost a quarter century ago, and the state school districts should have probably done the same at least a decade ago.

Looking at my recent tax bill almost seventy percent is going towards the school district. People such as yourself need to be scrutinizing every dollar being spent, and not taking superintendent candidates out to Cooper's Hawk for dinner. Let's also not also forget about the recent report by the University of Illinois at Chicago that found more than 60 suburbs and more than 100 suburban public officials involved in public corruption over the past two decades. I'm not suggesting anything in particular with the school districts in Tinley, but I think the focus needs to be more on cutting expenses and not always just increasing income for the districts.

Paulie,
Thank you for your feedback. What Madigan is proposing is not intended to cause local school districts to become more fiscally accountable, but make the state's budget woes disappear on paper before his Democratic majority has to face the voters. School districts have one revenue source, the local property tax, as opposed to villages, counties, and the state which has several.
Madigan is pushing this plan to "balance" the state budget and having the school districts levy for it. He, and his Democratic majority, get zero blame. The result is most districts will have a massive property tax increase, cut programs, and education will suffer. When that happens, property values will decline further as a home in a under performing school district will not sell as fast or for as much as a home in a better performing district.
Furthermore, it was the State of Illinois and Speaker Madigan, who established the state financing the Teacher's Retirement System (TRS) the way it was. They did this for several reasons, including political favor to the unions. The teachers and the districts have NEVER missed a payment to TRS. It has been the Legislature under the leadership of Speaker Madigan that has failed to fund TRS at the levels THEY established. Also, under Madigan's proposal, the state will continue to borrow against TRS even though it will be the districtts and the property owners that support them, paying the TRS bill. Hypocritical in the least.

To finish my point, and finally, during our superintendent search in 2010, we did conduct the final interviews at two local restaurants. Getting finalists in a setting outside the district was helpful, and standard practice in executive interviews in the private sector and when hiring a superintendent. After all,we are hiring the CEO of a multi million dollar operation. I admit if to do over again, I would favor another method to accomplish this goal. In fairness to me and my colleagues, the only reason the local press was aware of the interviews was I DISCLOSED IT PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEWS. In fact, one local outlet had a photographer taking pictures through the window!
In closing, it is relevant to point out that District 146 has been recognized for Excellence in Finance for 14 years and counting. The District 146 School Board is constantly watching the bottom line, which contributed to District 146 bringing every facility project in on time and under budget for the past 15 years.
I am always willing to discuss issues with citizens. If you call the district at 614-4500, leave contact info, I am willing to address a group or individual on these issues. Thanks.