pixabay.com
pixabay.com
The president of the Atlanta, Illinois, Library Board lied in an August meeting by claiming the library can raise taxes only through a referendum, Edgar County Watchdog co-founder Kirk Allen alleged on the group's Illinois Leaks website recently.
According to Allen, the board claimed it raised taxes through a referendum in 2012 and that no property tax increases have taken place. It also said its tax revenue increased only as a result of the equalized assessed value going rather than a request for more funding.
"Contrary to their claim, the Atlanta Public Library trustees have in fact requested more tax money each of the last three years," Allen wrote. "What they have done is something we have written about before and this once again validates why this state is in the trouble it is in."
Allen said that legally, the library can increase tax rates by 5 percent per year without holding a truth in taxation hearing.
"However, they have actually exceed that limitation two of the three years and only held the required hearing once," Allen alleged.
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