McHenry Times

Lakewood Village President Paul Serwatka wants the changes he’s spearheaded in the village to serve as a blueprint to states like Illinois, home of the country’s highest property taxes, of what streamlined government can look like.

“Every level of government has the same problems,” Serwatka, who since being sworn in as village president in May has made good on his pledge to abolish the 600-acre tax increment financing (TIF) district established two-years earlier, told the McHenry Times. “Our focus started with getting rid of all the top-heavy hires. I bet states like Illinois have even more to trim, with all the six-figure salaries and rising pension costs.”

Elected along with a new board, Serwatka and village trustees have also tirelessly worked to cut the village’s property tax levy by 10 percent, ultimately moving to return some of those unused tax dollars to residents located in the terminated TIF district.

Paul Serwatka

Serwatka vows that it’s only the start, not to mention an indication of what he reasons can be done if the right people are put in position.  

“You have to have more regular people involved in government,” he said. “Politicians are only worried about the next vote. We need people who want to make a difference and fight for people for the right reasons.”

Since becoming village president, Serwatka said abolishing the TIF district and imposing the tax cut rank as some of his proudest accomplishments.

“The TIF (district) may not have been costing any of our residents anything yet, (but) it was set to cause our property taxes to rise by as much as 50 percent over time,” he said. “We’re holding ourselves accountable for spending and taxing and that’s what needs to be done.”

While a WirePoints report points out Serwatka and village trustees have been able to implement their cuts and changes at a time when taxes and fees in most other municipalities continue to rise, Serwatka says there is still much more that needs to be done.

“Our past board bought up a whole bunch of land we need to sell,” Serwatka said. “We need to put money back in infrastructure. We have one part of our village that has major sewer problems, anytime there is severe rain there is sewage in basements. We need to sell off that land and apply that cash toward infrastructure.”