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The following data presented is:
Accurate & pulled from PUBLIC RECORDS. All sources of data are provided for you to review. If you find any inaccuracy, please let us know by email or Facebook and we will review data you provide. This site is regularly updated to provide the most accurate data for every Tinley Park resident to review.
Accurate & pulled from PUBLIC RECORDS. All sources of data are provided for you to review. If you find any inaccuracy, please let us know by email or Facebook and we will review data you provide. This site is regularly updated to provide the most accurate data for every Tinley Park resident to review.
Website data was obtained through freedom of information and state required reports. Do you want to know where your tax dollars go? Do you want to know how much our local school teachers, police and village workers are making, and how their average salaries are much more than the household income of Tinley Park Residents? Do you want to see the invasive data that Tinley Park compiles on its residents and how it has done studies on our net worth, our home budgets and more? Do you want to know just how unsustainable the teacher and public pension system is and how those collecting an average pension make 6 times that of a social security recipient (while contributing nearly the same per paycheck)? Did you know that Tinley Park is funding private development (using taxpayer dollars) in five TIF districts when Orland Park and Oak Lawn only have one? Check out the links above to review this and so much more data.
There are cost cutting methods for the Village and School Districts described in data and reports throughout this website, and we are continuing to research additional ways to reduce costs. The goal is to shift the increasing costs and liabilities within the local government and the State back to the local government and State, instead of the taxpayers being forced to pay higher property taxes, higher state income taxes, and instead of cutting student resources and closing schools. We calculated 5.4 million in savings by just restructuring health insurance contributions in ONE school district (228), the Village of Tinley Park and TP's Police department, and these savings are just in ONE year! Imagine the savings if restructuring was done to ALL benefits in the Village and ALL Tinley Park school districts.
There are cost cutting methods for the Village and School Districts described in data and reports throughout this website, and we are continuing to research additional ways to reduce costs. The goal is to shift the increasing costs and liabilities within the local government and the State back to the local government and State, instead of the taxpayers being forced to pay higher property taxes, higher state income taxes, and instead of cutting student resources and closing schools. We calculated 5.4 million in savings by just restructuring health insurance contributions in ONE school district (228), the Village of Tinley Park and TP's Police department, and these savings are just in ONE year! Imagine the savings if restructuring was done to ALL benefits in the Village and ALL Tinley Park school districts.
LOWER Village/School SPENDING = LOWER Property TAXES!
A community of Tinley Park taxpaying residents studied local property taxes, and the amount of information gathered was so involved that we had to organize it on this website. We created this site to share important data with all concerned taxpayers to get our community back in order. It is apparent to us that no amount of development in this Village can possibly help us overcome the debts and contractually increasing liabilities that have inflated property taxes. As a community, we need our Village and Schools to operate on a lower budget if we want to see our taxes reduced.
We do not want to see another home or business go into foreclosure, another parent have to get a second or third job to afford their mortgage, another retired resident forego necessities to cover their property tax bill, or another family or business relocate due to rising property taxes.
As documented in our daily newspapers, there is a polarizing situation where local tax paying families are in financial distress, when the "civil servants" are flourishing with excessive pay and benefits. This system is broken. Taxpayers are struggling and are in dire need of relief. The ONLY way to lower property taxes is to lower spending by our local government and schools.
Elected officials can no longer be trusted to look out for our best interests, so taxpayers must look out for themselves. Our hope is that the research we present will cause a ripple effect and inspire research like this in community after community until mass change occurs for the greater good of the taxpayers nationwide.
It is the civic duty of every village, township, state and government civil servant to adhere to ethical standards. These standards include utilizing taxpayer dollars in the most cost effective way, finding ways to save or cut costs, blowing the whistle on corruption/fraud/waste, and doing everything in their position for the greater good of the taxpayers. This, however, has not been the case.
BUSINESS AS USUAL MUST STOP.
Taxpaying residents are fed up with the excessive and continually rising costs of property taxes, and we are disappointed with village officials, school boards and schools. The information that our group compiled to research more about the spending habits of the Village and local Schools raised a lot of questions. After reviewing the data, which is provided on this site, here are just some of the questions we have...
We do not want to see another home or business go into foreclosure, another parent have to get a second or third job to afford their mortgage, another retired resident forego necessities to cover their property tax bill, or another family or business relocate due to rising property taxes.
As documented in our daily newspapers, there is a polarizing situation where local tax paying families are in financial distress, when the "civil servants" are flourishing with excessive pay and benefits. This system is broken. Taxpayers are struggling and are in dire need of relief. The ONLY way to lower property taxes is to lower spending by our local government and schools.
Elected officials can no longer be trusted to look out for our best interests, so taxpayers must look out for themselves. Our hope is that the research we present will cause a ripple effect and inspire research like this in community after community until mass change occurs for the greater good of the taxpayers nationwide.
It is the civic duty of every village, township, state and government civil servant to adhere to ethical standards. These standards include utilizing taxpayer dollars in the most cost effective way, finding ways to save or cut costs, blowing the whistle on corruption/fraud/waste, and doing everything in their position for the greater good of the taxpayers. This, however, has not been the case.
BUSINESS AS USUAL MUST STOP.
Taxpaying residents are fed up with the excessive and continually rising costs of property taxes, and we are disappointed with village officials, school boards and schools. The information that our group compiled to research more about the spending habits of the Village and local Schools raised a lot of questions. After reviewing the data, which is provided on this site, here are just some of the questions we have...
Questions for the Village of Tinley Park
- Why does Tinley Park pay a "bench coordinator" $19,000 per year? Couldn't one of the other highly compensated village employees manage to "coordinate benches" a few times a year?
- Why does Tinley Park have 6 accountants on staff that cost taxpayers over half a million dollars per year? Couldn't an outside firm provide tax and accounting services for much less?
- Why does the entire Tinley Park staff of 71 full-time police officers each average an annual compensation of $132,500? In a low-crime, sleepy suburban community, this is a very high average compensation for police officers.
- Why has the Accrued Liability of the Police Pension Fund doubled in 7 years to 23.8 million dollars? What is Tinley Park doing to control this unsustainable expense?
- According to the Cook County Treasurer, the Unfunded Pension Liabilities of the Village of Tinley Park were over 53 million dollars at the fiscal end of 2015. The Village pension account is 40% unfunded. Is the Village doing anything to restructure the system and control costs? Click here to see a PDF page view of the summarized data.
- What does the Village owe for the for the 13 years it hasn’t paid into the IMRF (municipal retirement fund) for eligible firefighters? Click here to read a Tinley Sparks article.
- According to Cook County, the Village owes $47.9 million for a “Pension and Healthcare Shortage”. Why hasn't the Village board been held accountable for the inaction on a very important and costly issue that has saddled residents of Tinley with more debt?
- Why does Tinley Park allow off-duty use of village provided cars? Isn't that a major liability and unnecessary cost to taxpayers?
- Why aren't village salaries in line with free market salaries and the local cost of living? AND why aren't Village employees required to pay more towards their pension and health care costs?
- Why doesn't the Village transfer from a pension system to a defined-contribution 401k retirement account like the private sector uses? It would save taxpayers millions!
- Why aren't health insurance stipends or defined-benefit contributions towards public employee health insurance implemented in place of employer (taxpayer) paid health insurance?
- Why does Tinley Park have planning coordinators, what is their role, and why are they given taxpayer provided cars?
- Why doesn't Tinley Park have many RFP requests on their site? Shouldn't our village want to save taxpayer money by opening bids for products and services? If this village spends tens and even hundreds of thousands per month on expenses, surely costs can be cut everywhere.
- When will the Village's culture of no-bid contracts end?
- Who answers to residents about politically connected firms with no-bid contracts with the Village? Check out this Chicago Tribune article about the Tinley Park garbage contract. Residents have sued the Village and the information can be found here.
- Why doesn't our village opt to outsource work to private firms to save the village costs of salaries and pensions?
- Why does our village involve itself (and its taxpayers) in real estate planning and development? Is this the role of our local government?
- Why does Tinley Park have five TIF districts when comparably populated communities of Orland Park and Oak Lawn only have one?
- Why do we need overlapping taxing bodies? If Evanston and Belleville IL can dissolve an unneeded and unnecessary township, why can't we?
- How does Tinley Park spend the money that comes from red light cameras and video gaming machines?
- Why is a village pensioner on the village board? Isn't that a conflict of interest?
- Tinley Park's "Home Rule Sales Tax" that "rises proportionally with inflation" impacts family budgets and local businesses. Instead, why doesn't this Village lower its spending habits?
- How can the Village approve salaries and raises for multiple years NOT knowing what the tax base will be? If there was a total economic collapse and a great depression hit the taxpayers, the Village is still obligated to cover salaries?!
Questions for Tinley Park Schools
- Why is a Tinley Park teacher's average compensation more than the HOUSEHOLD income of Tinley Park residents?
- Why are Tinley Park administrator and teacher salaries not capped?
- Why are salaries of gym, music, art and elective classes especially not capped? A masters degree in physical education, music, and art are not necessary, but the degree is utilized to collect $100k+ salaries per union contracts. This needs to change.
- Why does the number of teachers and administrators provided on the school reports to the ISBE not add up the number of teachers and administrators on the school websites?
- Why don't administrators contribute the same towards their health insurance and pensions as teachers?
- Isn't it a conflict of interest and a disservice to the school district to allow administrators to work other jobs?
- Why do elementary teachers get both college tuition reimbursement and then a salary increase paid for by the taxpayers?
- In a community where the HOUSEHOLD income is $75,000, how is an average $85,000* compensation justified for a teacher, especially a teacher that works 166 days a year? *Average compensation between all Tinley Park Schools; compensation includes base salary, bonuses, retirement enhancements and other benefits as listed on School Salary Reports to the ISBE (see sources page).
- Why aren't school districts filing standard and uniform reports with the ISBE? Why has Illinois not provided formal reporting documentation and required uniformity in reports required from school districts?
- Why aren't administrator and teacher salaries and benefits in line with free market salaries and the local cost of living?
- Why aren't administrators and teachers contributing MUCH more to their pensions and health insurance?
- Why aren't defined-contribution (401k) retirement plans implemented in place of defined-benefit pension plans to save taxpayers money?
- Why aren't health insurance stipends or defined-benefit contributions towards teacher health insurance implemented in place of employer (taxpayer) paid health insurance?
- Why are taxpayers paying state imposed penalties on the retiring teachers/administrators collecting raises above 6% instead of the teachers/administrators collecting the raise and inflated pension?
- Why aren't pensions capped? Taxpayers on the hook for million dollar+ pensions PER retired teacher!
- What kind of health plans are the districts providing administrators and teachers? Can these plans be made more cost efficient?
- Why are school districts (taxpayers) paying for administrators and teachers' life insurance and dental plans?
- How do citizens replace school superintendents (that collect an average $250,000 salary) for mismanaging finances and school districts?
- Why is a current teacher on a school board? Isn't that a conflict of interest?
- Why aren't all school district employees required to live within the district that they are employed?
- Why aren't school district administrators and school board members required to obtain professional liability insurance, which would shift liability to those personally responsible for their actions and decisions instead of the taxpaying residents?
- Why don't school district administrators and school board members have provisions in their job contracts/agreements that hold them personally and financially responsible for any fraud/misconduct that they could do?
- Can the School Districts prohibit multi-year contracts? Can all contracts be limited to ONE year (if a contract is required)?
- How can the School District approve salaries and raises for multiple years NOT knowing what the tax base will be? If there was a total economic collapse and a great depression hit the taxpayers, the School District is still obligated to cover salaries?!
Questions for Residents
- Are you VOTING in the elections for Tinley Park village boards, local school boards, townships and public offices? Our community needs YOU!
- Are you aware of how your property taxes are being spent? There are statistics and links through this site for you to review. Take a look for yourself.
PROPERTY TAXESInformation about Tinley Park and Illinois property taxes is available for immediate review.
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VILLAGE DATAInformation about spending within the Village of Tinley Park is available for immediate review.
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SCHOOL DATAInformation about Tinley Park schools and school districts is available for immediate review.
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RESOURCESNumerous resources, data sources and voting information is provided for you to review.
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Demand that Public Officials Cease and Eliminate Excessive Spending
Contribute:
Post Guidelines: Tinley Taxpayers welcome all Tinley Park residents and businesses to contribute data, research and information to assist in the movement to have property taxes reduced through lower Village and School spending. Content posted on this page are expected to be relevant to lowering taxes in Tinley Park and is expected to adhere to the conduct guidelines. Content that violates these guidelines is not tolerated.