Letter: McHenry County GOP does work for lower taxes

A recent letter “thanked” the Republican Party for the increases in their property tax bills. As many people know, the McHenry County GOP opposed the referendum by the Conservation District and encouraged voters to “Vote No” on another property tax increase.

In the ongoing discussions about the County government’s budget for next year, every Democrat on the Board voted to move forward a proposed ordinance – to be voted on Tuesday – that would increase the property tax levy outside the Mental Health Board, which is now being funded by the new .25% sales tax approved by the voters in March. Many Republican board members prefer at most a “flat” levy for next year. And some are advocating for a decrease in the levy.

As most people are aware, and as the writer somewhat acknowledged, the vast majority of your annual property tax bill is for the schools. Unfortunately, fiscal conservatives are under-represented on school boards, which tend to support budgets advocated by the teachers unions. If people are concerned about their property tax bills, they should consider running for the school board as a fiscal conservative, or at least attend school board meetings to let the school board know what they think.

Tim Beck

McHenry