Property Tax Freeze Proposal Dead for This Year

November 9, 2017

Senate Bill (SB) 851, the property tax freeze proposal, is dead for this year.  While it did pass out of the Illinois House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 75-32-1, it was not filed or voted upon in the Illinois Senate.  Please click here for the roll call and then contact your Illinois House of Representative. Thank them for their consideration of SB 851 whether they voted for or against it and please remind them that if a similar bill arises again, please vote NO.  If you have forgotten your representative's name, phone number, or email, please click here.

Use the same talking points:
 

Four talking points against any property tax freeze bill are below:

  1. I’m calling to urge you to vote against a property tax freeze bill, which will hurt our state’s libraries. 
  2. Unlike elementary schools, community colleges, state universities, and cities which are supported by federal and state funds, and local property taxes, public libraries rely overwhelmingly on property taxes as the source of revenue used to pay for operations and personnel costs.
  3. If this bill becomes law, library hours and weekend program offerings could be reduced or eliminated, and after-school programs that are necessary may no longer exist.
  4. Libraries have always been places where families and students can invest in themselves—state government should not cap the amount of resources that our community desires to invest in them.

Thank you all for calling your elected officials and getting SB 851 defeated.  Congratulations!  

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