“Property tax rates to increase by 9 percent” plus 2 more |
- Property tax rates to increase by 9 percent
- Rahm rules out property tax hike
- Malloy Vows To Cut Property Tax Credit, Despite Opposition Fox CT Video
| Property tax rates to increase by 9 percent Posted: 25 Feb 2011 12:00 PM PST [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] Property tax rates are on the rise in 2011. According to the San Juan County assessor's office, the tax rate on local property will increase countywide, on average, by 9.1 percent this year, in large part because of a boost in the state levy rate and in local school levies as well. |
| Rahm rules out property tax hike Posted: 24 Feb 2011 12:07 AM PST Rahm rules out property tax hikeBY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter Feb 24, 2011 04:54AM Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel holds his first formal press conference Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at the Union League Club. | Jean Lachat~Sun-Times Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday ruled out a property tax increase of any size, declared an end to the days of the rubber-stamp City Council and solicited ideas — even from aldermen who opposed him — on ways to solve the city's financial crisis. Emanuel rocked the boat with his pre-election threat to re-organize the City Council — and strip Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) of his police bodyguards and, possibly, his Finance Committee chairmanship. But, Emanuel's first news conference as Chicago's mayor-elect offered Emanuel the chance to change the subject from "personalities or individuals" to the partnership he hopes and needs to forge with the City Council to close a $1 billion-a-year structural deficit. "They cannot be a rubber stamp. That's unacceptable. The challenges are too big. They can't be what they were in the last few years. They don't want it. The city doesn't want it. ... I was a former legislator. I don't want it," Emanuel told reporters at the Union League Club. "The city also knows that we paid a price for Council Wars as a city. Those two extremes — rubber stamp, Council Wars — [are] unacceptable. I ask them to be the partners in reform. ... If they have ideas on how to save money, walk it right up to my office. If they have a change they want to make that brings more efficiency, more transparency, let's go. ... I am open to different roads to take to the objective I've set out." Emanuel also issued an open call to Chicagoans interested in joining his new government. "If you ever thought of public service as part of your life, sharpen your resume. I want people ... with a level of experience and background from the private sector, from academia, from our foundations and charities to be part of city government. This is a unique time in our city's future. It's a chance to make a new, fresh start. And that means bringing in talent and energy that we usually don't see in public service," he said. Emanuel's pledge not to entertain a property tax increase of any size came in response to a question about how he planned to solve the city's pension crisis. A bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly over Mayor Daley's objections would saddle homeowners and businesses with a $550 million property tax increase in 2015 unless pension concessions are negotiated or another new revenue source is found. During the campaign, Emanuel ruled out raising property taxes that much, which would amount to a 90 percent increase. On Wednesday, he was asked whether he would entertain a property tax increase of any size. His answer was an emphatic no. "I'm not looking at a property tax increase," he said. Emanuel has already rankled union leaders by suggesting cuts in the benefits of existing employees. On Wednesday, he threw an olive branch to the unions by declaring his unqualified support for "defined benefit pensions." That means he has no plans to switch to the 401(k) plans favored by private industry. On other matters, the mayor-elect: ■ Declared his intention to get involved in some of the 14 aldermanic runoffs to re-shape the new City Council to his liking. ■ Said he has no agenda for the Legislature's spring session, noting that Chicago has "one mayor at a time" and that mayor is Richard M. Daley until May 16. ■ Reaffirmed his commitment to dump Police Supt. Jody Weis, who has been on a one-man public relations campaign to save his job by revealing the steady decline in homicides and other crime. "We have gone through a period of time where our superintendent and the Police Department have been back and forth with each other. Yes, the results show a reduction in crime. But, we still have a murder rate on a per-capita basis in parts of the city double that in New York. We have made progress, but not progress enough. ... The statistics are true. The quality of life is not," he said. "I have nothing personally against the superintendent. Nothing. But, [during] a time in which we've added nine to ten significant positions in the central bureaucracy, we have not added a single beat officer. ... I do not believe you beat crime through bureaucracy. You beat it with the beat officer. ... I will look for a superintendent who shares that philosophy." Emanuel said he would look for somebody who has the "trust and confidence" of the rank-and-file, but he made no firm commitment to choosing an insider to replace Weis, a career FBI agent who was the first outsider in more than 40 years to serve as Chicago Police superintendent. ■ Promised to move "with a quick step" to establish his transition team and order an audit more extensive than the annual review conducted by a major accounting firm. The new audit would be aimed at pinpointing the $75 million in cuts he has promised to make to Daley's final budget. It will also help determine what areas of contracting the city is exceeding its minority set-aside goals and where it is falling short. ■ Said Interim Schools CEO Terry Mazany would be considered for the permanent job, but he's looking at other candidates as well. ■ Disclosed that he got congratulatory phone calls from former President Bill Clinton, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gov. Quinn and a host of other high-ranking elected officials in addition to the previously-disclosed calls from President Obama and Mayor Daley. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Malloy Vows To Cut Property Tax Credit, Despite Opposition Fox CT Video Posted: 24 Feb 2011 09:55 PM PST HARTFORD — Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposal to eliminate the $500 property tax credit might be the least popular tax increase that he has recommended, but he vowed Thursday to keep pushing for it. A poll released Thursday by the conservative-leaning Yankee Institute showed that 73 percent of likely voters oppose Malloy's plan to end the popular credit. The credit saves taxpayers up to $500 annually for the local property taxes that they pay on their homes or cars. Only 15 percent favor the proposal, according to the survey. Among multiple tax increases proposed by Malloy, removing the credit was the least popular. Malloy told reporters that he is "pretty willing'' to push hard to eliminate the credit, which would cost taxpayers a combined total of $365 million in the first year of his two-year budget. "Many people who oppose us on this actually don't qualify for it, which is an interesting set of circumstances,'' Malloy said. "I've actually talked to people, and I've asked them what their incomes were, and their incomes were in excess of incomes that would have allowed them to have that credit. I've asked other people about it, and when I ask them if they own a home, they say no. … If you're asking me if we're going to go to the mat over $365 million, the answer is: Of course.'' Under the state's current tax laws, the maximum credit of $500 goes to couples earning about $100,000 a year. Those above that level receive increasingly smaller credits on their state income tax, and the credit is completely phased out for all couples earning more than $192,000 annually. Malloy said Thursday morning that he had not yet seen the Yankee poll but added that he was not surprised when told the results. "I'm opposed to tax increases,'' Malloy said. "If somebody had asked me if I supported tax increases, the obvious answer would be no.'' The poll served as the backdrop for an ongoing clash between Malloy and the outspoken governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie. Malloy had referred to Christie as being "bombastic'' last week in an article in The New York Times, and the two governors exchanged remarks regarding taxes in separate appearances this week on the MSNBC cable network. On Thursday, Malloy referred to himself as "the anti-Christie.'' The Yankee poll, meanwhile, showed strong opposition to Malloy's other tax-hike proposals at the same time that it showed solid support for his proposed spending cuts. The most popular of his proposed cuts, according to the survey, are the $1 billion a year in concessions and savings that Malloy says he needs in the next two years from unions representing state employees, including a possible wage freeze and higher contributions to their health care premiums. Voters supported that idea, 71 percent to 20 percent, the poll showed. In response to how to deal with the projected budget deficit, 30 percent said they were looking for an "even balance of spending cuts and tax increases,'' while 10 percent said they would "rely mainly on tax increases with some spending cuts.'' Twenty-seven percent said the deficit should be closed entirely by spending cuts, and only 1 percent said the gap should be closed entirely by tax increases. Thirty percent said they should rely chiefly on spending cuts with some tax increases. Malloy's approval rating was found to be 50 percent less than two months after his Jan. 5 inauguration, according to the poll. The breakdown on Malloy's approval rating was: 18 percent said they "strongly approve" of the job he's been doing as governor, 32 percent "somewhat approve," 19 percent "somewhat disapprove," 27 percent "strongly disapprove" and 3 percent are not sure. The nonprofit institute, which sponsored the poll, was founded in 1984 and has offices on the Trinity College campus. It describes itself as "a think tank that develops and advocates free-market and private sector solutions to public policy issues." The poll surveyed 500 Connecticut "likely voters" Sunday. Here are the poll's other details: • By 68 percent to 21 percent, voters oppose creating a state earned income tax credit. • By 67 percent to 31 percent, voters oppose increasing the gas tax. • By 60 percent to 34 percent, voters oppose eliminating sales tax exemptions. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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