Reboot: Tax Structures

In Illinois, every wage-earner pays 5 percent in state income tax.

NLSD122 Board Remembers Newtown, Approves 2012 Tax Levy

The tax levy vote had its share of opponents.

The New Lenox School District 122 board room was alive Wednesday night with well-deserved celebrations of children's accomplishments, but the pain that robbed the life-blood from the community of Newtown, Ct., did not go unrecognized.   Board President Nick DiSandro waited till after the awards were handed out to a group of cheerful givers and the girls basketball teams were lauded for successful seasons to call for a moment of silence. The noisy exit of excited students and proud parents served as a poignant reminder of the senselessness of last week's tragedy. In a building not unlike Sandy Hook School, DiSandro shared with those who were left a message about the district's commitment to keeping the schools a safe place for learning, …

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How Do Hamburgers Smothered in Onions Make a School District Smile?

The answer is: Additional tax dollars are scooped out to help support budget-tight school district.

New Lenox School District 122 board members got to work rolling out a plan to live with persistent funding shortfalls and late payments from the state. At a Committee of the Whole session by New Lenox School District 122, board members and administrators on Wednesday took a calorie-counting approach to keeping the budget tight. Supt. Michael Sass reminded the board that the state is consistently late in paying its bills. NLSD122 is owed $1.7 million.   At the same time, Business Manager Harold Huang echoed the same cry that impacts school districts around the state: the situation is not expected to improve any time soon.    Still and all, Huang said he saw some light at the end of the tunnel. A few of the newer businesses in the village …

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D122 Officials Annoyed Over Delayed Tax Distribution

New Lenox District 122 Approves a $59.2 million budget for 2012-2013

Michael Sass, superintendent for New Lenox Elementary District 122, vehemently expressed annoyance at the Will County Treasurer Steve Weber for delaying distribution of $1.4 million of 2011 tax dollars. Usually, school districts get 49.75 percent of the collected tax dollars by the end of June. This year on June 28, the district received only 45.78 percent. The additional $1.4 million was distributed by mid-July, business manage Harold Huang said at the board's Aug. 15 meeting. Although the delay caused some budget gaps in terms of the fiscal year, which ended June 30, it didn't seriously impact the district.  Even in consideration of the earned interest, the district lost only $450 as a result of the delay. However, Sass asked "if there …

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D210 Gets $69M Property Tax Extension

The Lincoln-Way High School District received about $4.5 million less in taxes than requested. Supt. Lawrence Wyllie also said the district could avoid issuing tax anticipation warrants.

The Lincoln-Way High School District 210 will receive $69.9 million in property taxes this year, Supt. Lawrence Wyllie announced Thursday. In December, the school board approved a property tax levy of $74,416,681, or about $3 million less than in 2010.  School districts must approve their tax levies in December, and that's before the official assessed valuation of homes is determined. Thus, the district always requests more in taxes than it will actually get. Wyllie said the district's assessed valuation has decreased $169 million, accounting for an increase in the tax rate.  "But the amount of taxes is offset by the loss of state aid," Wyllie said. "Total revenue probably goes down a bit or stays flat." Property taxes make up about 65 …

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Portillo's Agrees to Give Back Sales Tax Incentive

New Lenox agreed to give economic incentives to Portillo's, a deal that helped bring the restaurant to the village, but Portillo's announced it would give back the sales tax breaks. The additional revenue could go toward residents' property tax rebates.

Portillo's Restaurant wouldn't have come to New Lenox without receiving sales tax kickbacks that other communities offered.  But now, after getting to know the community and hearing that local restaurant owners were upset with the incentives, Portillo's President Dick Portillo agreed to give back the sales tax rebate.  "He realized they wouldn't have come here without the incentive, but he told me he likes the way we do business," Mayor Tim Baldermann said. "He's just an unbelievably generous man." At the April 9 Village Board meeting, trustees approved an economic incentive agreement that will give back about $60,000 in sales tax revenue generated by Portillo's, which plans to open this fall in a lot by Target and Lowe's. The agreement …

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Last Chance: Tax Filing, Leaf Pickup

Find important deadlines this week and share your own for the end dates to registration, donations and deals.

Every week we'll bring you the latest deadlines you need to know. Whether it's registering for an upcoming event or making sure you can attend a meeting about a hot issue.  File Your Taxes: With the tax deadline of April 17 nearing, make sure you get your tax return together this week. If you're looking for local help, check out some accountants in New Lenox listed in the Patch business directory. The library is also offering assistance for local seniors to prepare and e-file taxes. Learn more here.  Leaf Pickup: The village's free leaf pickup resumts this week, going through Friday, April 13. Residents must bag their leaves in brown paper yardwaste bags for the pickup to be free. The pickup days coincide with the regular garbage days Do …

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New Lenox to Mail $700K in Tax Rebates This Week

The village rebated 40 percent of the property tax paid by residents last year, and the Village Board feels comfortable increasing the amount that will go back. It equates to an extra $30 annually for the average household.

New Lenox will give back $704,095 in 2010 property taxes to residents this year after increasing the amount it refunds to 50 percent. In October, the Village Board agreed to rebate 50 percent of eligible residents' property taxes, up from 40 percent the previous year. For the average resident, that meant an additional $30 back on their 2010 taxes, which were paid in 2011. Finance director Kim Auchstetter said the village received about 5,500 applications for the rebate after mailing about 7,500 refund forms. That means the average home received about $128 back from the village. The deadline to apply was Dec. 15, 2011. Last year, according to previous articles, the village received close to 6,000 applications and refunded about $560,000 …

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Survey: Kosel's Constituents Want Gun Control, Income Tax Repeal

Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox) issued a nine-question survey in January that covered a wide range of issues, including job creation, income taxes, schools and more. Kosel said she'll use the feedback to "represent the district effectively."

Many Lincoln-Way area residents want more gun control, a repeal of last year's income tax hike and marijuana to remain illegal, at least according to a survey administered by Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox). Kosel issued a nine-question survey in January that covered a wide range of issues, including job creation, income taxes, schools and more. Kosel said she'll use the feedback to "represent the district effectively." “Hearing directly from my constituents on the issues that matter most to them and their family is an invaluable resource for me,” Kosel said in a news release. Kosel said hundreds of constituents responded to the survey, and she noted that the tallies were not done scientifically and only reflect the opinions of those who …

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CCW

12:55 pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012

Eleanors reponse is typical of the uniformed. I guess some people just can't believe that the gun crime in Shi@cago is caused by illegal guns. Okay, I'll tell you all a secret...all of the legal gun owners go up to the city each night and shoot people just for kicks because paper targets are so boring. Some nights we all can't make it so there are less killings on that day. THERE, our secret is …   more ›