Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident tells Warrenville council Illinois has “worst property tax system” and questions new-development treatment
Summary
At the Aug. 4 Warrenville City Council meeting, resident Bob Sabbert told the council Illinois has the "worst property tax system," saying new development outside tax-increment financing areas is excluded from the tax-rate calculation and generates unnotified revenue increases.
Bob Sabbert, a resident of Albbright Court, used the public-comment period at the Warrenville City Council's Aug. 4 meeting to sharply criticize Illinois's property-tax calculation and to press the council for clearer citizen notice.
Sabbert said the state's property-tax system produces unexpected revenue increases because "the third factor is new development," and he argued that new development outside of tax-increment financing (TIF) districts is not included when the tax rate is calculated. "The new development outside the TIF is not included in the calculation of the tax rate," he said, adding that the resulting revenue is then applied without notifying citizens.
Why it matters: Sabbert framed his comment as a transparency concern that affects how residents perceive property-tax votes. He asked, "How do you vote for a property tax increase when you don't know the true property-tax revenue?" and urged the council to address what he described as systematic confusion in levy calculations.
The comment occurred during the standard public-comment portion of the meeting and no formal response or action was recorded in the meeting minutes on Aug. 4. The city did not vote on or otherwise act on Sabbert's request during the session; the transcript records only his remarks.
Both what Sabbert alleged and whether any municipal practice directly produces the effect he described would require follow-up with city finance staff and, if necessary, county assessors or the township to verify how new development is included in Warrenville's tax-rate computation.
