Voters have the say in local tax questions

To the Editor:

As Madison County Treasurer the question I’m often asked by taxpayers is “why are my taxes so high?”

My response is, “I don’t determine your taxes. I simply collect them.”

Taxes go up for several reasons. Sometimes elections make a difference.

With Election Day around the corner (April 7) and early voting starting weeks before (March 23) it’s important to know what’s on the ballot.

This election you will see school-related referenda in several districts asking for levy changes.

In Granite City and Triad, voters are being asked to approve levy increases.
Granite City is asking taxpayers for 80 cents more per $100 of assessed valuation. Triad wants 50 cents more.

Taxpayers with a home worth $100,000 would pay approximately $266 in additional taxes per year in the Granite City School District and $166 in Triad.

Voters in East-Alton Wood River High School district and the Wood River-Hartford and East Alton elementary districts are being asked if the districts should be dissolved and a new single district created.

By law, voters will establish the levy of specific funds — education, operations and building maintenance, transportation, health and life safety, working cash and lease.

Assuming a property valued at $100,000, it is estimated that taxes will decrease by $30 per year for people who currently pay in the EAWR/Wood River-Hartford districts and by $120 in the EAWR/East Alton districts.

School officials say the remaining levies — social security, liability insurance, IMRF, bonds, etc. — will be established by a newly elected school board and are not projected to increase.

Your vote is your voice. Be heard!

Kurt Prenzler
Madison County Treasurer