Stop SD200 Property Tax Hike

The Board of Education (BOE) for Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRFHS) District 200 (D200) in Oak Park, Illinois, said on November 15 that D200 will pass a 2.5% property tax increase on December 20, 2012, despite having a $123 million cash surplus.

BOE members indicated that while they will hold a perfunctory “Truth in Taxation” public hearing immediately before approving the new levy on December 20, they will let nothing deter them from extracting their annual pound of flesh from D200 households.

The only way District 200 residents can stop the BOE from passing the levy is to come and protest in person at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 20, 2012 at OPRFHS, 201 N. Scoville, Oak Park, IL. Only mass political pressure will have any impact on the BOE, which is otherwise immune to community dissent. PLEASE ATTEND to stop D200 from raising our taxes unnecessarily. Otherwise, you will face annual property tax increases from D200 forever.

D200 BOE President Terry Finnegan set forth D200’s arguments for the levy in a November 28 article, “Criticism of D200 levy is misinformed.”

Mr. Finnegan took exception to our earlier articles in the Wednesday Journal and our Public Comment opposing the Levy at the November 15, 2012 D200 BOE Meeting.

We have rebutted Mr. Finnegan’s published arguments in the attached article. D200 also posted a description of the levy.

Our brilliant forensic accountant, Dr. Barry Epstein, CPA, CFF, reviewed D200’s published Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports and Projections for the last 10 years and found no justification for a new levy at this time.

Dr. Epstein will present a Power Point Presentation at the “Truth in Taxation” Meeting at OPRF on December 20 that will be posted here following the meeting. Come and see him. He’s a great speaker!

Click below to view Dr. Epstein’s analysis and related documentation:

SD200 By the Numbers
SD200 By the numbers (500 word version)
SD200 By the numbers (800 word version)
Notice of Proposed Property Tax Increase [not annotated]
Press release censored by Wednesday Journal
Annotated version of release censored by Wednesday Journal
Email exchange between Dr. Langer and Wednesday Journal opinion editor, Ken Trainor
D200 BOE Pres. Finnegan email declining invitation to speak
Dr. Langer’s report on BOE Pres. Finnegan’s refusal to speak
Dr. Langer’s comments at November 15, D200 BOE meeting
Rebuttal to D200 BOE Pres. Finnegan’s 11/28/12 Wednesday Journal article