McHenry Times

A recent Liberty Principles PAC campaign ad is calling House District 66 GOP candidate Dan Wilbrandt’s stance on taxes into question.

“Are your property taxes too low? Dan Wilbrandt thinks so. He voted to increase your property taxes twice in just three years,” the ad said.

The ad goes on to state that, according to West Dundee Village Board meeting minutes, Wilbrandt voted to raise local taxes on gas, and food and beverages in 2014.

“Dan Wilbrandt, another big government, big tax Republican. Send him to Springfield? We can’t afford it,” the campaign commercial said.

Wilbrandt, who is running against Allen Skillicorn and Carolyn Schofield in the Republican primary, was elected village trustee in West Dundee in 2013, and said he wanted to serve his community and make West Dundee a great place to live, work and raise a family.

On his website, Wilbrandt states he opposes state tax increases and that the choices he has made as village trustee have been in the best interest of the citizens who elected him. He stands by every difficult choice he has made, the website states.

“I oppose state tax increases, but during my term as a trustee, when faced with the difficult decision of either increasing revenue or making up the shortfall through cuts in services or added fees, I voted to modestly raise West Dundee’s taxes to a rate that is still lower than neighboring East Dundee’s,” he wrote.

Wilbrandt added that a typical family household now pays less than $5 per month in additional village revenue, and is still able to enjoy residing in a community that does not have to pay a fee for basic garbage or yard waste collection services, doesn't have vehicle stickers, and is not forced to cut services completely.

“West Dundee was forced to make difficult decisions in the wake of declining sales tax revenues and unfunded state mandates,” Wilbrandt said. “Money was needed to maintain the quality services residents enjoy and also move forward with the Spring Hill Mall and downtown redevelopment projects. With this investment, the village was able to secure a $40 million redevelopment at the mall and a downtown redevelopment plan that has attracted new business and future developments.”

Wilbrandt said the village of West Dundee’s goal is to reduce the costs of government for the residents.

“In our village, we must increase sales tax revenue from our Spring Hill Mall and downtown to do this," he said. "We have deliberately invested our time and village money in making this project a success for the long run – not an instant press release for political notoriety. West Dundee trustees work together to meet this challenge and implement a solution.” 

Wilbrandt cautioned the public about what really happens when villages freeze property tax rates.

“When you hear about other villages 'freezing' property tax rates, be wary of what is really happening,” he said. “They may freeze one village line item tax, but increase their separate fire protection or pension related tax rates. This is deceptive and not done in the village of West Dundee, where we value and promote transparency.”

Wilbrandt said he will not support “any increased tax burden on the residents of McHenry and Kane counties when our state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

The former assistant state’s attorney is a lifelong resident of West Dundee and hopes to succeed Republican Rep. Michael Tryon, who is retiring at the end of the year due to his support of term limits for elected officials. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Nancy Zettler in the November election. 

“I understand the issues of the area very well,” Wilbrandt said. “In addition, serving as an assistant state’s attorney has allowed me to develop firsthand knowledge of the concerns facing McHenry and how to address these concerns.”