Justin Stoltzfus Stories

Cantrell village president takes opposition's side on property tax freeze

By Justin Stoltzfus | Nov 22, 2017

Cantrell Village President Ted Stead said he tends to agree with a township officials organization in opposing a proposal made during the fall veto session in Springfield to freeze property taxes for two years.

Linking higher income taxes with lower property taxes described as wishful thinking

By Justin Stoltzfus | Jul 15, 2017

If Illinoisans can live with higher income taxes for five years, they might in return get bailed out from the ever-growing onus of high property taxes, Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) said recently, according to the news site Politico.

More taxes are easy; real reform is hard, policy pro argues

By Justin Stoltzfus | Jul 11, 2017

Illinois might be in awful shape, but raising taxes is not the way to make it healthy again, Ted Dabrowski, vice president of policy of the Illinois Policy Institute, told the Sangamon Sun recently.

Possible federal bailout, Illinois Constitution change predicted

By Justin Stoltzfus | Jul 8, 2017

Ike Brannon is sounding the alarm about Illinois' future in a financial crisis.

Illinois among states seen as on the precipice of a pension disaster

By Justin Stoltzfus | Jun 19, 2017

Officials in Springfield and around the country are talking about a “pension cliff” and trying to determine what will happen as large numbers of educators become fully vested in school district pension benefit systems.

Fitch lowers U.S. pension discount rate, putting Illinois in deeper hole

By Justin Stoltzfus | Jun 11, 2017

A change in outlook from a major ratings agency is likely to have a big effect on Illinois' public debt. Fitch Ratings announced on June 1 that it is lowering the discount rate for U.S. public pension plan liabilities to 6 percent from 7 percent.

Dry cleaners say they'll be hard-pressed to make it if budget passes

By Justin Stoltzfus | May 26, 2017

More Illinois businesses are getting taken to the cleaners to pay for state overspending -- including dry cleaners themselves, industry experts are arguing after Senate passage of a budget measure on Tuesday.