A member of the McDonough County Board said local economies could have a positive reaction to a property tax freeze following a two-year freeze proposal by the Illinois General Assembly.
Trevor Toland, a member of the 21-person board, said the freeze on townships and local governments could be a benefit for rural Illinois.
“In rural Illinois, township officials are not significantly impacting most political issues," Toland told the West Central Reporter. "The local economy could react positively to a freeze” in terms of sales and more consumer spending.
Toland said he thinks opposition to the freeze for many might be because it could affect their potential for more tax revenue.
“Many units of government in our state are in opposition to a freeze for the simple reason that it may prevent them from gaining access to more tax income,” Toland said.
Toland said freezing taxes could aid property owners by lowering their already-high taxes and putting more pressure on local officials to control spending.
“A freeze is one method by which property owners, already paying high taxes, may have a chance to control continually rising property taxes and place the impetus on elected officials to control tax spending,” Toland said.
Toland also said he supports either consolidating or eliminating the township government system, saying there are redundancies in service and corruption.
“I have long been a proponent of consolidating or eliminating township governments,” Toland said. “There is wasted duplication in their services and many are adrift with corruption because they are at a level which many voters don’t know what for or how their tax monies are being used.”
When asked why voters should take notice of the issue, Toland said voters should pay attention to tax dollars being wasted.
The proposed tax freeze, Senate Bill 851, was introduced on Oct. 26.
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