State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) responded on May 7 to recent remarks from Senate President Don Harmon and President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham about the connection between property tax relief and legislation related to the proposed Chicago Bears stadium project.
Ugaste said that lawmakers are making solutions more complicated than necessary, potentially leading to unnecessary costs for taxpayers. “It was good to hear the Senate’s leadership acknowledge that property tax relief should be in the bill, but this is the same trap Springfield always falls into,” Ugaste said. “Every discussion about property tax relief turns into a conversation about how to ‘fund’ it. But not every reform requires a government funding source. Some solutions simply require political will.”
He outlined two reforms he believes would offer long-term protections for taxpayers without costing the state money: moving all property tax referendums to November ballots for higher turnout and transparency, and ending so-called “back-door referendums” where taxing bodies issue new debt after old referendum bonds are paid off without voter approval.
“First, move all property tax referendums to the November ballot, where turnout is higher and transparency is greater,” Ugaste said. He added, “Taxpayers deserve to make these decisions during elections when more people are paying attention and not during low-turnout elections where major tax increases can quietly slip through.” Regarding ongoing borrowing practices by some taxing bodies, he stated: “When voters approve a bond referendum, they believe that debt will eventually end. Instead, many taxing bodies simply roll the debt into new borrowing, and taxpayers never see relief. Once referendum bonds are paid off, governments should be required to go back to voters before issuing new debt. That gives taxpayers a voice and finally puts a brake on ever-growing property taxes.”
Ugaste also commented on broader implications of current discussions in Springfield: “The Bears want only to pay reasonable property taxes, so does every homeowner and business owner in Illinois,” he said. “This is a historic opportunity to enact reforms that protect all taxpayers, and some reforms don’t require one dollar in new spending.” Ugaste has represented Illinois House District 65 since 2019 according to Ballotpedia.
