McHenry Times

Despite the urging of Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser, the Algonquin Township board of trustees rejected a resolution July 11 that would have allowed voters to decide whether to keep the town’s road district intact.

Such ballot measures are allowed by a statewide rule that went into effect Jan. 1, subject to each municipality’s discretion, according to the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI).

Illinois taxpayers are beset by some 7,000 taxing bodies, so eliminating Algonquin Township’s Highway Department was seen as a way for citizens to escape the town’s high property taxes, according to the institute.

Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser

Figures from ATTOM Data Solutions put the average McHenry County property tax bill at $6,383, or 2.82 percent of the home’s value, according to IPI. That percentage is higher than that of neighboring counties. For example, Lake, Kane, DuPage and Will counties report tax percentages of 2.7, 2.76, 2.17 and 2.38 percent, respectively. The study cites the state average at 2.22 percent.

In defending the proposed resolution, both Gasser and Trustee Rachael Lawrence struck a populist chord, crediting the voters with enough savvy to decide the highway department’s future for themselves.

“The motives of anyone wishing to deny the people their voice on this issue should be carefully examined,” Lawrence said in the IPI report.

Reminding the trustees that the ballot measure had bipartisan support, Gasser not only credited the voters with enough savvy to make the decision but suggested that local politics is also at play.

“Some in the elite McHenry County political class are using their connections, grandstanding with press releases and paying the Northwest Herald to advance their agenda,” Gasser said in a YouTube video. “This is truly unfortunate.  There is no need for mudslinging and political paybacks. This is about good, honest, open and transparent government.”

A YouTube video of the July 11 Algonquin Township’s board of trustees’ meeting shows most members stoic during Gasser’s speech urging them to allow citizens to decide whether to keep the town’s road district intact.

But moments later, when the measure was defeated with only one dissenting vote, it became apparent the trustees weren’t listening to the bill’s proponents.