The Tribune asked candidates in contested races for Lake County Board five questions about issues facing county government. Here are the responses from Lake County Board candidates in contested races in districts 3, 5, 9, 16 and 19.
What is the biggest issue facing Lake County residents, and how would you address it as a County Board member?
Peter Grant (Democrat): Property Taxes! Lake County Illinois has (among) the highest property taxes in the nation. According to the National Taxpayers Union, about 30 percent of properties in the U.S. are assessed at higher values than their worth. I believe that many homes in Lake County are extremely over assessed. Lake County Board voted to raise property taxes by $17 million in the latest budget. The County Board not only raised the rates, but raised the portion of the $500 million budget that is paid for by property taxes to make up for lost revenues such as sales tax. My opponent voted to raise your property taxes by $17 million. If elected, I will refuse to vote for any budget that will increase property taxes.
Linda Pedersen (Republican): The biggest issue for the residents is their property taxes. As a board member we need to be fiscally responsible and cut expenses where we can, especially in these tough economic times. We have done just that by cutting millions from our budget. It’s also important to maintain our AAA bond rating since this allows us to borrow money when needed at a lower rate, which also is a savings to our residents. It is also important to educate the residents that even though your tax bill comes from Lake County, we receive 7 percent and the rest goes to other taxing bodies who set their own budgets.
Lake County and the Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency are to conduct a land-use study for a proposed extension of Highway 53. Do you support the extension? What issues should the study take into consideration?
Peter Grant (Democrat): I do support the Highway 53 extension. I think that CMAP and the County should do a thorough environmental study as well as an economic study that will explain what the economic benefits of extending Route 53 would have on the local economy over several years. I think that an economic study will show that this investment will be well worth the money spent in increasing economic activity in NW Lake County.
Linda Pedersen (Republican): I do support the Route 53 extension. This project, as planned will effect many environmentally sensitive areas as well as residential areas so it’s very important that we study land use issues as well as speed limits, etc.
Motorola Mobility’s announcement this summer it would leave Lake County for Chicago and lay off employees in the process came as a surprise to many people in the county, including elected officials. As a County Board member, what would you propose county do to retain employers like Motorola Mobility and also attract new jobs?
Peter Grant (Democrat): I am not familiar with the details of this deal with the City of Chicago, but I think that we will have to be much more aggressive in competing for business retention and for attracting new business to Lake County. Lake County has the foundation for attracting new business with its proximity to Lake Michigan which makes it attractive to pharmaceutical companies and Lake County’s central location in the Midwest that makes logistics a natural attraction for many businesses. The Chicago region is the transportation hub of the country.
Linda Pedersen (Republican): It’s important for Lake County along with Lake County Partners to work at retaining and bringing new business to the County. The Fed Ex development is a great example of how this can work. The County, Village and other taxing bodies got together and agreed on tax incentive program that helped bring Fed Ex to Lake County. This would be key in attracting new jobs.
The Lake County Assessor’s Office has indicated that even though property assessment valuations are generally lower this year, property taxes aren’t likely to decline for residents. As a County Board member, how would you respond to residents frustrated that they aren’t seeing property tax relief even in difficult economic times?
Peter Grant (Democrat): As a candidate for Lake County board, virtually every homeowner that I talk to tells me their property taxes are too high. Many are considering leaving the area because they can’t afford to stay. Seniors are being forced into public housing because they can’t afford the property taxes on their homes. The fact is that when property values decline, property taxes should decline along with them and County Government and all taxing bodies should tighten their belts.
The Lake County Administrator has received up to a $50,000 raise over the past few years bringing his salary to $300,000 a year when many families are struggling to make ends meet. If I am elected I will take a 50 percent pay cut the first year of my term to set an example for all taxing bodies in Lake County to lower their own levy. I will ask County Government to cut expenses and propose that part time County Board members take a 50 percent reduction in their part time salary and reduce salaries of Lake County department heads by 25 percent. I believe that we could save the taxpayers millions of dollars by eliminating the Township Assessors and giving this function to County Government, valuing property is a process that can be done more accurately and for less money than it costs to maintain an unneeded layer of government. We simply cannot continue down this road of skyrocketing property taxes to pay for everything under the sun, this must stop and it must stop NOW!
More Top Picks Best Air Purifiers For Whole House
Linda Pedersen (Republican): This can be very confusing to residents as to how assessment process works. And I do get a lot of questions in regards to this issue. What I have done is held an Assessment seminar in my district, mailing a notice to all my households explaining what they need to do to appeal their taxes and inviting them to the seminar. I have the Assessors from each township in my district speak to these issues and hopefully they leave with a better understanding of how the process works.
Also for the first time in many years the State of Illinois has added a multiplier, which is another reason the taxes are not going down.
The Lake County Board recently approved a “planned unit development” concept for a shopping center in Ela Township on a property owned by the Dimucci family. Even with tighter controls on the site, neighbors still objected to the potential size and scope of the project. Did the board make the right decision, and if a developer makes a specific proposal for the site, what should be considered in the county’s review?
Peter Grant (Democrat): This is a tough issue as it goes to private property rights to develop against the public’s right to maintain a certain culture where they live.
I think that the board did make the correct decision in approving this development with the changes that were negotiated. I believe that a more transparent process and a change in the culture of County Government could go a long way towards alleviating the fears of residents when issues concerning the County Government are involved. We need to work towards a relationship based on trust between County Government and residents because after all Government is here to serve the tax payers not take advantage of them. We need a County agenda that derives from the needs of the taxpayers and we need strong County Board members that will fight for the residents and small businesses in their districts.
Linda Pedersen (Republican): I attended many of the RPC meetings and PBZ meetings and listened to hours of testimony. This project ended up with many more restrictions then when it was originally presented. This is a great example when the government entities that are effected by a development get together and try and work the issues out. I am confident that we made the right decision and when a developer comes to us with a plan they will have to follow all of our rules, regulations and ordinances and we will end up with a high quality development.