Bailey explains his tax hike votes
Tuesday, Jan 25, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Austin Schick…
Bailey also told WMBD Illinoisans are tired of being left in the dark when it comes to taxes and believes high taxes are driving people out of the state. […]
Bailey, a former school board member in the North Clay CUSD #25, voted on many tax hikes during his tenure but said any tax hikes were explained to voters. He believes those hikes are not the reason people are leaving Illinois.
“It’s a much different scenario. Taxing bodies have the ability to levee a certain amount,” Bailey said. “100% of the time at the North Clay District we brought our community in, and we educated them. We told them this is what it’s going to cost per household, this is why we need the money, this is where it’s going to go, are you okay with that.”
“Many times it was $5 a household and I think one time the max was $19 a household, we had over 95% input buy-in every time,” Bailey said. “If government operated that way in the State of Illinois, our residents would feel a lot more comfortable.”
So, lemme get this straight: Tax hikes and PPP loans are good when he does them and bad when anyone else does? Roger Wilco.
- Lincoln Lad - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:29 am:
Hypocrites need to unite against truth! It’s their right under the constitution!
- Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:29 am:
Not sure why, but a couple of houses out in our neck of the woods (rural Sangamon) have taken down Bailey yard signs that have been up since last Summer. Might mean nothing but I thought it was strange.
- very old soil - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:30 am:
And many people complain about high property taxes (mainly due to schools).
- Magic Dragon - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:34 am:
Headslap emoji
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:36 am:
- 100% of the time at the North Clay District we brought our community in
Does he realize he is bragging about doing something that is legally required?
- we had over 95% input buy-in every time
Now, if I go check the public comments and minutes from these board meetings, will I be able to find this claimed 95% buyin from the local residents?
Without evidence, I have a hard time believing 19 out of 20 people supported increasing tax levies in Clay County.
I’ll believe it if there is evidence showing it to be reality. Not just because this guy says so.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:38 am:
I have heard a lot of bs from politicians but this takes the grand prize. Maybe because I know how school districts work but this was just a lie.
=“100% of the time at the North Clay District we brought our community in, and we educated them… are you okay with that.”=
They may have said those things, but it was to an audience of 5 or 10. Nobody goes to BoE meetings. But he said they “brought them in” what a fantasy.Eeven in their tiny district where only 69% of students graduate on time, they couldn’t bring everyone in if the paid them.
=“Many times it was $5 a household and I think one time the max was $19 a household, we had over 95% input buy-in every time,” Bailey said.=
$5 a household would be a levy increase of something like .0005. insane.
I took a quick look at their website and their financials. They have quite a bit of money in the bank. Bailey is just full of it. And it is easy to see.
- Fayette County - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:39 am:
And he wonders why people don’t trust politicians and take them at their word. The double speak is strong with this one.
- CCapilla - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:46 am:
There is a fascinating bit of psychology going on here. Putting the hypocrisy aside, this is absolutely a case of “Those people shouldn’t do that, but its fine when I do that.” Nobody likes lawyers, but “my” lawyer is the greatest ever. See also: dentists, doctors, etc.
Same idea here in a policy setting and it is in furtherance of the us vs. them mentality. “When I reach out to the community to tell them why we need their money for our children and for our betterment, they can’t wait to fork over the cash,” is likely somewhat true. Just the same as, “Look those people over there just want more of your money so they can switch school lunches to transgender vegan chicken nuggets that they’re giving away to illegals,” is good at riling up an opposition to a tax or a spend. The concept of negative partisanship is very real and its about the only currency still trading at every level of government these days.
- Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:51 am:
- we had over 95% input buy-in every time –
Tom Devore represented the other 5 percent
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:53 am:
===Taxing bodies have the ability to levee a certain amount===
Now is a good time for him to find out that they would be able to levee a lower amount in property taxes if there were a progressive income tax that made it so wealthier Illinoisans paid a higher tax rate and allowed the State to direct more funding to K-12 education instead of leading the country in financing K-12 education through property taxes.
But I’m sure Representative Bailey would rather pay a little more in property tax given most of his land is agricultural than pay more income taxes to support the community he “serves.”
- Huh? - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:53 am:
If you’re explaining, you’re losing.
- Ryan - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 9:53 am:
Handouts for him (farm subsidies) are good, too.
- Ryan - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:10 am:
Some fun facts about the North Clay School District…
80.4% of the teachers are certified (interesting…)
70.9% graduation rate. (172 of the 591 students won’t graduate! Wow.)
Revenue: Local - 25.8% , State - 69.5%, Federal - 4.7% (They seem to rely an aweful lot on that big, bad, state gub ‘ment.)
- Steve - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:13 am:
Bailey is the gift that keeps on giving.
- DownSouth - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:25 am:
@Give Me A Break - I’m seeing similar in my corner of SW IL. Bailey support is still strong, no doubt about that - but I am starting see some of his earlier supporters quietly backing away.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:25 am:
Yearly tax increases are modus operandi for most local boards. Nobody ever seems to notice until someone runs for higher office.
- wildcat12 - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:26 am:
He is spinning his wheels, but I have doubts that it will matter to his base, as he continues to throw them red meat. This kind of thing would absolutely matter in the general election, though.
- walker - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:42 am:
Standard fare.
Our biggest tax burdens as felt by voters, and compared to other states, are property taxes. They are levied entirely by local officials, who often just point fingers at the state. Yes, the state should and does help with funding, but let’s not blithely ignore the source.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:47 am:
CapFaxers, CapFaxers, doesn’t Trump’s election prove Republicans will vote for ANYBODY who has an R behind his name?
- Long Time Independent - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:05 am:
The PPP loans to millionaires look bad on the surface but it’s really bad when your the voice that’s constantly saying that Government must control it’s spending, get it’s financial house in order and that hand outs must stop. Voters don’t like hypocrites especially wealthy ones that get millions in government loans forgiven. JMO
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:07 am:
Bailey hopped that less is more with transparency.
Expose what he thinks works for him, deflect whatever he thinks won’t work for him.
Transparency is transactional in this thinking.
- NorthsideNoMore - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:09 am:
Governing is hard even harder without money. Punching holes is easy, now do the hypocrisy dance.
- thisjustinagain - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:09 am:
To: Walker at 10:42am “biggest tax burden are property taxes”.
Yes, and that property tax includes the school district levies. My elementary school district levy and tax are higher than the amounts levied by the town I live in. The district’s portion of the total tax local tax rate is 15% (total local tax rate is 27.816). The “dreaded and useless township” that does so much with so little only levies….0.832%.
- Why? - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:18 am:
Hits on Bailey are completely fair. But disparaging comments about the school district from a couple of commenters…..why? Rural school districts have difficulty attracting and retaining teachers like everywhere else. Not sure how attacking the district and its students on a thread about Bailey and his tax hike hypocrisy is constructive and inclusive.
- Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:24 am:
Darren Bailey ran for the legislature to stop people like Darren Bailey from increasing property taxes.
- Moral Majority - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:30 am:
I don’t recall ever being “brought in and educated” about property tax increases for the North Clay School District. It seems more like what was done and continues to be done by many taxing bodies is to increase the tax levy by a bit less than the amount triggering a public hearing, then hoping it gains little attention.
When they were first wanting to build the new cafeteria that the grade school and high school share the question of revenue bonds was put to the voters and defeated. I think it was tried again later and also failed. Finally, lo and behold, they were able to come up with funding for the project without any new long term tax increases. I’m not sure that Bailey was on the school board then or not.
The North Clay School Board just recently voted to issue almost $12.5 million of bonds for working cash and to finance a new major project: http://wnoi.com/onlinenews/wnoinews.exe?ID=44034
To be fair though, I think North Clay has done a pretty good job of keeping our school facilities up to date and property taxes reasonable.
- Frank talks - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:37 am:
Would’ve been better to just say we had to raise it because the state wasn’t following through to educate our children. Then fall back into the standby- my residents wouldn’t have to pay more if all the money didn’t go to Chicago.
Not true but would’ve stayed on message instead of this gobblety-gook he just spouted off.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:39 am:
“they can’t wait to fork over the cash,”
No. I’ll wait. The local taxing bodies need a pretty good reason for me to pay more than what is needed.
- Vote Quimby - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:43 am:
In the quoted article…. levee should be levy
Although I don’t doubt that’s the version Bailey used.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:55 am:
=levee should be levy=
A levee is for impounding water, a levy is for impounding tax dollars…even I saw that, but I am one the 70.9% to graduate from NCCHS.
- Flapdoodle - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:55 am:
Reading this post about Bailey immediately after reading the one about Newman leads me to propose an amendment to the IL constitution. It would create the new appointive office of State Jester, to be filled by the candidate for statewide or congressional office judged to have consistently made the most inane public statements during an election cycle. Nominations could be submitted by any registered voter; judging would be by a panel of professional satirists, say, members of Second City. Non-repeatable two year term paralleling the state legislature. Job requires holding at least monthly pressers to dispense political and social wisdom. No stipend, benefits, perks, or power.
We have such fine jester talent in the state that it would be a shame not to make use of it.
- The Old Man - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:41 pm:
Where do these kinds of people come from? Tax and spend Bailey will continue to get his government handouts and try to make people believe that he is just a country boy trying to do good. He is a country boy who is trying to line his and his friends pockets. Had enough of the Eastern Bloc in Illinois and in Asia too.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:07 pm:
“Darren Bailey ran for the legislature to stop people like Darren Bailey from increasing property taxes.” LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsCTpREM48M
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:28 pm:
I think one of the things that may make local taxes a little more tolerable is that folks know it’s going for the education of students in their own ocmmunity. We see our neighbors’ children. We don’t necessarily see the children in Cairo or Rockford.
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:42 pm:
@Michelle Flaherty…Rimshot good.
- BW - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:43 pm:
Don’t school districts have to increase their levy as assessed values increase or they face a reduction in State Aid under the formula?
- Jewel Osco - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:48 pm:
Not surprising. He and his campaign staffers are all snake oil salesmen. I almost feel bad for the “supporters” that have bought into his nonsense.
- Publius - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 3:35 pm:
In my town we had someone running for Mayor say he was going to lower taxes. The biggest levy is from the School Board. Then the city and from the city the biggest part is for Police and Police Pensions. I asked him if he was in favor of defunding the police based on his tax statement. He didn’t answer. We also have a seperate fire district that levies a tax that is high also.
- Publius - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 3:37 pm:
I forgot to mention we have a seperate library board and park distict board for out town that also levies a tax that Mayor has no say in. Then the county, community college, and township. In the end the Mayor has little to do with it.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 4:11 pm:
=Rural school districts have difficulty attracting and retaining teachers like everywhere else. Not sure how attacking the district and its students on a thread about Bailey and his tax hike hypocrisy is constructive and inclusive.=
I run a rural school district. Their numbers are poor by any standard, but when you look at their cash reserves there is no excuse.
They have about $7 million in their 4 operating funds. Nearly a years worth of reserves and the bulk of their funding comes from state and federal. Hoarding money. and not getting positive student learning results.
@BW- no.
- low level - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 10:59 pm:
You mean like the extra 5 cents or whatever it was for the cook county pop tax? Such a big increase that was /s
- BW - Wednesday, Jan 26, 22 @ 8:44 am:
TY JS