Letter to the Editor: Tax Levy

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Dave Schmidt, Mayor of Park Ridge and candidate for re-election on April 9. Letters express the views of the author; Patch merely serves as a forum for readers to state their opinions. 

Hi everyone-

Hope you are enjoying the warm weather. Most of you can tell that the campaign is now in full swing. I am happy to be running on my record of fiscal responsibility and open government. The City Council will be starting the budget process tonight, and early indications are that we will be in line for a fourth consecutive surplus in the General Fund's annual performance. Most importantly for the taxpayers, we have been able to achieve that great result with the lowest property tax levy increases in at least 10 years. I am proud to be running a positive campaign focusing on that record.

However, when my opponent distorts my record in an effort to mislead and attract voters, I must respond to set the record straight. My opponent has been claiming for months that the City's share of property taxes has gone up 22% over the last four years, including 11.11% this year. That is flat out false, and he would know it if he had attended the City Council meetings a few weeks ago when the tax levy was discussed and passed.

The fact is the recently-passed property tax levy represented an increase of just 2.15% which corresponds to a slight $2 increase for every $1000 on your property tax bill. Yet, my opponent's website still claims the increase for this year is 11.11%, and he is even advertising an upcoming campaign event based on this misleading statement. It is also a fact that the average annual increase in the City's tax levy during my tenure has been under 3.5% with the bulk of the largest single annual increase being necessitated by a dramatic jump two years ago in the City's public employee pension obligations.

Moreover, the property tax levies could have cut even further if the mayoral vetoes overridden by the City Council had been sustained instead, the most recent being the expenditure for building a new police facility which was supported by my opponent and which will require new spending representing up to 8% or more in new property taxes levies by the City over a three-year period. Voters should seriously examine how someone can promise to lower property taxes while increasing spending and vowing not to use his veto power.  It does not add up.

I would appreciate it if you would share this with your own contacts so that as many people as possible know the true facts about our property tax levy and my opponent's effort to mislead the voters.

Thanks, Dave