That thought comes courtesy of reading a piece from Judy Harvey, editor for The Herald-News, explaining property assessment equalization factors with information from the state revenue department.

The factor, or multiplier, is written into state law, “is important because many of the state’s 6,600 local taxing districts, such as school, fire protection and junior college districts, overlap county lines,” Harvey wrote. “Without equalization, taxpayers with comparable properties in different counties could face inequitable tax burdens.”

That part isn’t exactly simple, but it’s manageable compared to the ensuing complexity:

“Illinois law requires property to be assessed at one-third of its market value. Farm property is assessed differently, with homesites and dwellings subject to regular assessing and equalization procedures, while farmland and farm buildings are valued according to productivity-based standards …

“The annual equalization factor is determined by comparing the sales prices of properties sold over the past three years with the assessed values set by the county supervisor of assessments or county assessor. When the three-year average level of assessment equals one-third of market value, the factor is 1.0000.

“Assessments in Kendall County are currently at 33.46% of market value, based on sales from 2022, 2023 and 2024. The final multiplier factor applies to 2025 taxes payable in 2026.”

Surely some very smart people have handy explanations for these calculations being so significant in the average Illinoisan’s property tax obligation. But I’ve read those three paragraphs six times, only growing stronger in concluding that the confusion is a feature of a system designed to separate people from what they know to be true and what they pay.

I know all 17 applicable taxing bodies (because I save PDFs from the county) and understand the math of getting from “fair market value” to a dollar amount owed to each entity. I even grasp why we pay 2025 taxes in 2026.

Further, I understand what my house is worth because we just bought it last summer. But I don’t intend to sell it – ever, really, I am quite tired of moving – and so my knowledge of the local market will inherently diminish, and with it a practical concept of value.

We can’t just tax property at the purchase price forever, but the current system has inadequate tolerance for a distinction between what someone owns and their actual cash flow, while also being insufficiently responsive to economic volatility and larger market forces.

Also, it’s just plain confusing. And I support paying fair shares for good schools, libraries, fire departments and more, understanding the quality of each helps boost property value (even if I’m not moving).

What are the good arguments against drastic reform?

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.

Consider Senate Bill 3374, which the chamber’s Executive Committee advanced with 11 yeses (and two “not voting”) March 4 and was to have its second reading Tuesday. The proposal would amend the Illinois Vehicle Code by allowing certain government units to lower the default speed limit from 30 to 25 or 20 mph without first conducting a speed study.

There are other aspects (such as the 10 mph alley limit and increasing the maximum allowable urban district speed limit to 55), but the big picture is fairly clear: while it’s understandable for the General Assembly to endorse a statewide standard, speed limits on city streets are the type of issue where local governments should be able to assert control.

For any push to increase speed limits, there’s logic in retaining the requirement to formally evaluate safety concerns. But why force a government to spend thousands of dollars to reach an obvious conclusion?

That’s not to say slower is inherently safer, or even logical, but speed limits are set through municipal ordinance, and that’s precisely the type of topic that draws residents to meetings. Whether a village board proposes altering the limit on every applicable road in the corporate limit or a ward-based alderman is concerned with just a block or two, local traffic issues are of maximum importance to the people who most directly fund that unit of government. The more say they have, the better!

After spending the better part of 25 years encouraging civic engagement, it’s frustrating to have little of value when responding to questions and statements like “Where do I even start?” or “It feels like nothing I do will make a difference.” And while some local officials might like the security of being able to say “we can’t change it, there’s a state law …” it’s definitely prudent for the state to assess when the mandates amassed over decades might impede both good government and taxpayer involvement.

MAILBAG: Reader AO responding to Tuesday’s column: “Liked your idea of breaking vote on general fund budget into pieces to allow things both sides of the aisle agree on to pass quickly. Could be used to improve state’s finances too.”

He suggested establishing definitions of core functions and departments, with departments then making their own similar designations, and ensuring the “core” automatically gets 90% of its historical percentage of state revenues as a baseline, with 5% for discretionary spending and 5% for cuts or savings. After ranking discretionary requests, remaining programs and goals would get their own supplemental focus and formula tiers with eyes on overall fiscal health.

Anyone else have ideas worth sharing?

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.

Sometimes it’s OK to lean hard into the cliché, hence opening today with a Paul Simon lyric that Gov. JB Pritzker ought to have ringing in his ears while reading damning new statistics about the pervasiveness of homelessness in Illinois.

Not that a governor is explicitly responsible for every resident having a roof over their head, but as has been detailed a few times here, Pritzker put this issue on himself almost three years ago with a bold, public prediction to reduce Illinois homelessness to “functional zero.”

“For those who don’t know and who may be listening,” Pritzker said at a July 2023 bill signing, “it’s a measurable metric of success that reduces homelessness to something that’s brief and rare and nonrecurring.”

The metric is measurable, but there’s no success to be found. According to a Monday Capitol News Illinois report, the Department of Public Health now estimates 10,000 people experienced “literal homelessness,” while between 108,000 and 233,000 live in unstable arrangements.

At the signing, state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, the Chicago Democrat who served as lead sponsor of House Bill 2831, estimated 4,500 people in Illinois are without a home each evening. The wait time for housing services is an average of 802 days. In fiscal 2022, emergency shelters turned away 9,800 people.

The new report is in line with trends. Between those data points was an October 2024 Department of Human Services task force report showing rates increasing, unsurprisingly given funding for housing program services in recent budgets.

For fiscal 2026, Pritzker suggested spending $7.6 million less on housing programs. Lawmakers actually cut $14.6 million, landing at $253.7 million. For 2027, Pritzker suggested the Home For Illinois program get no additional money, which means even if the General Assembly agrees, the state still won’t be able to deliver services at the same level.

Again, Pritzker isn’t responsible for people lacking shelter, and it’s fair to note this hasn’t exactly been a boon period for funding stability from the federal government, especially with regard to social services. But he chose to lay down the marker, and things have only gotten worse.

Would commentators have anything to say if Pritzker never aimed for “functional zero”? As a percentage of the overall state population, Illinois’ homelessness rate is the worst in the Midwest but far lower than in many other states. There are loads of other concerns demanding state attention and resources, including those affecting vulnerable populations such as people with developmental disabilities, the incarcerated and minors entangled in the child care services system.

It takes money to solve those problems. Fewer resources mean tougher priority choices. Homelessness numbers are likely to worsen.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.

“If the governor has $15 million lying around and feels the state has it, I’m not as opposed as I once was, seeing some of the emotional, positive benefits,” Lewis said. “As much as we may agree that $15 million for this is a worthwhile program, the billion dollars going somewhere else that we don’t agree with will override our ability to say yes to the budget.”

Because lawmakers vote on spending plans in such massive amounts, it’s a virtual certainly the minority party will find enough objectionable allocations to oppose the overall plan. And if you’re never going to get someone to yes, what’s the incentive to include them in negotiations? Further, what’s the electoral benefit to minority members to stick their neck out for the aspects they see as beneficial?

Individual votes on every line item would be beyond onerous, especially given the General Assembly’s affinity for abusing deadlines. But breaking general fund decisions into smaller chunks might be useful in convincing voters that not every issue in Springfield is predetermined based solely on the red-blue divide.

NOT SO FAST: Last week, I was ready to write a “strange bedfellows” column about agreeing on an issue for entirely different reasons. The slightest bit of additional reading undercut the plan.

On Jan. 13, I supported lawmakers considering a bill to withdraw the pending mandate that all high school students take two years of world language classes. Though I favor broad horizons, the plan (which first affects 2033 graduates) is problematic by increasing diploma mandates, potentially forcing districts to add staff in areas of traditional shortages and overlooking the generally accepted truth that it’s easier for younger students to learn different languages.

State Rep. Rick Ryan, D-Evergreen Park, introduced the bill in January. Last week, I saw a social media post promoting a discussion with a new co-sponsor, state Rep. Travis Weaver, R-Peoria, referring to this bristling quote: “I just think that there’s a much higher value in other skills that are irreplaceable by [artificial intelligence].”

But the full piece, from WGLT-FM’s Evan Holden, revealed Weaver’s deeper, agreeable logic: actually learning languages beats trusting AI, some students benefit more from career or technical electives, and families should have more control over course selection.

A quality reminder to not react rashly to quote fragments.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.

What is the LGDF? The means by which municipalities get a cut of income taxes. For a basic explainer, visit tax.illinois.gov/localgovernments/income.html. The annual debate is the municipalities asking to get 10% – the rate agreed to when the state first enacted an income tax almost six decades ago – while the state wants to keep the percentage lower, typically arguing the important benchmark is how much money is generated.

It doesn’t take much math to understand 10% of the overall income tax pool was a much smaller dollar amount in 1970 than it is in 2026. When Capitol News Illinois ran the numbers in 2023, it showed a single percentage-point increase would divert $250 million from state coffers to the LDGF, from where it is apportioned by population.

When I explored the topic in 2023, the simpler question was: Why can’t we just pay property taxes to local governments and income taxes to the state? Frankly, it’s just the state government’s job to collect and disburse money. The Department of Revenue remits 24 types of taxes to local governments, from Automobile Renting Occupation and Use to Video Gaming. With an abundance of government units, imagine the complaints about inefficiency if every city needed its own mini revenue office to process gasoline taxes and E-911 surcharge dollars.

But that list also could be an instruction manual for a cleaner way out of this annual argument: the more power the state gives local governments to generate their own revenue, the less the municipalities would need to rely on getting a cut of income taxes. That would serve the larger goal of making it clearer which elected officials are raising what money, how and for which purpose.

Pushback on such a plan is obvious. Just look at the squawking from mayors who wanted the state to keep collecting its 1% sales tax on groceries rather than take the politically unpopular step of enacting it themselves. But these debates are healthy: Do we want our community to tax groceries? Should there be video gaming terminals everywhere? Is now the time to open a marijuana dispensary?

When living in Gurnee, the village didn’t levy a property or utility tax, balancing its budget with sales and amusement taxes. We can’t all have Six Flags, an indoor waterpark and a giant mall, but lots of smaller-scale choices could be more reflective of community intent while also somewhat liberating local budgets from state whims.

Such changes can be difficult but have long-term benefits. Bold leadership is required.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.

The Department of Agriculture’s event, running for nearly 30 years, is now too big for its former digs and will take over the Expo Building at the state fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday. More than 100 vendors will be present, many offering free samples of their locally produced food and beverages. Tickets are just $5, but admission is free for kids 10 and younger, as well as veterans and active-duty military members, teachers and first responders.

Patrons who buy five items worth $20 will get an extra $5 coupon. LINK users can get vouchers to be spent on eligible food items. Adults also can partake of the Illinois Wine Experience, which carries a cost of $10 for six tasting tickets (additional tickets cost $1 each) and a commemorative tumbler. Some 14 Illinois wineries are participating this year.

For a full list of participating vendors – including those who offer pet or home goods – visit illinoisproductsexpo.com.

It’s understandably difficult to get all these producers together in one space, but put me down as interested in exploring the plausibility of a traveling Taste Of Illinois showcase offering opportunities for those who live farther from Springfield.

TRANSIT ALTERNATIVES: In covering the state’s bungled attempts at reforming Chicagoland public transportation, I frequently reminded that there are needs throughout Illinois, and that different concerns require directed solutions. So what works? Last month, the Ford County Chronicle reported on Futures Connections, which started in Pontiac in October and has since expanded. Vehicles operate from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, offering round-trips for $2 inside the county and $5 for longer rides. Patrons must schedule from 24 to 48 hours in advance if the trip isn’t related to health care; medical visits require 72 hours of advance notice.

According to the Chronicle’s Will Brumleve, the service already has 36 wheelchair-accessible buses and minivans with a state grant to secure another vehicle for just Ford County. Livingston County residents booked nearly 10,000 rides in five months. This is a fine example of public service and a good reminder that mass transit is about more than trains and city buses.

ILLINOIS OLYMPIANS: The Winter Olympics concluded Sunday, but the 2026 Paralympics are set to begin March 6, also based in Milan and Cortina. As space allows, I’ll spotlight Illinois natives competing for the United States. Today’s feature is Kendall Gretsch, a Downers Grove native born with spina bifida. She has competed in triathlon in the Summer Games as well as Nordic skiing and biathlon in winter events, earning four gold, two silver and one bronze medal since 2018.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.

Don’t email with a response or anything, but consider the question, and then think about others in your circle. My parents, married in 1974, purchased one house, in 1978. There has been extensive remodeling and expansion, but it’s the same street address and landline phone number (albeit on the third area code, after being removed from both 312 and 708).

My wife’s parents sold their first home around 1993 to move into the house they built, where they remain. My wife and I, married in 2002, bought our first house in Iowa in 2003. We moved back to Illinois in 2007. Then three more in-state moves since, as recently as last summer.

Renting is a whole different story, and we’ll spare readers the family history portion, but the narrative serves as useful context for reading coverage of Gov. JB Pritzker’s recently announced push to change the state’s affordable housing statistics.

Three Shaw Media reporters collaborated on a useful overview of municipal opposition to the threat of statewide zoning rules undercutting decades of local authority (tinyurl.com/ZoningPushback), and digesting that information along with the Capitol News Illinois overview of the Building Up Illinois Developments initiative (tinyurl.com/CNI-BUILD) engenders a little sympathy for anyone trying to make arguments on any side of the issue to an audience for whom the cost of housing isn’t a daily concern.

Obviously, the value of any real estate is an important consideration for budgeting because Illinois governments rely so heavily on property taxes. But “affordable housing” is also somewhat of a nebulous concept for people who aren’t in the market as buyers or sellers.

Realtor.com and IllinoisRealtors.org both offer useful data dashboards providing macro context. Closed sales were up 4.2% in 2025, and the median price was up 3.4%. In December, the median sale price was $170 per square foot, while the median monthly rent was $2,138.

But statewide information only goes so far. The same is true of last year’s University of Illinois study that showed we’re about 142,000 housing units short and would need to build 227,000 over the next five years to keep up with demand. There is more than enough space in Illinois to build that much housing, and Pritzker could probably make a case for underwriting some of the effort in the name of economic development. However, if people wanted to live in places with open land (or currently vacant homes), the market would already have responded to those needs.

Yes, this is an oversimplification. But so are most solutions, including some laws already on the books that aren’t achieving stated goals.

Housing shortages are a valid concern worth state attention, but broad strokes rarely address meaningful local factors.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.

That thought kept recurring while reading Friday’s Capitol News Illinois story headlined “Legislators, activists continue push for prescription drug affordability board; The board could set maximum prices for certain prescription drugs, but faces industry resistance.”

It’s no surprise the industry resists regulations and potential price controls. Pretty much anyone engaged in private business pushes back when government starts messing with pricing structure, directly or otherwise. (See also from CNI: Illinois soybean farmers welcome federal aid, but fear long-term trade damage; Farmers, many of whom voted for Trump, say they’d prefer stable trade over a government check.)

But specific to medication, consider this quote from a Feb. 17 Statehouse rally:

“Prescription drugs only work if people can actually afford them,” said Anusha Thotakura, executive director of Citizen Action/Illinois. “That’s what we need our legislators to do, to make sure that we expand access to high-quality and affordable health care and make sure we can afford our prescription medication.”

Another speaker was state Sen. Graciela Guzmán, D-Chicago.

“What I am led by is community members that are saying, right now, I’m making a choice between my prescription drugs and my rent. I’m making a choice between my insulin and food today. Our communities are making incredibly tough decisions. That’s not what industry is doing.”

I wouldn’t argue that prescription drugs are affordable. First, there’s the context of earlier thoughts about the subjective nature of the “affordability” buzzword. Are groceries affordable? Rent? But even as someone who thankfully doesn’t have to choose whether to stop at Walgreens or Jewel, I’ve definitely experienced sticker shock at the pharmacy counter and have occasionally seen fellow shoppers walk away empty-handed after hearing a total cost, at least until they can get in touch with their insurer.

But medication is only one piece of the health care puzzle. There are people who choose between an X-ray and new shoes for the kids. Or those who go to work sick because they can’t make ends meet without every last hour on the time card.

To spend any regular time on social media these days is a virtual guarantee of encountering a crowdfunding effort to find money to help people with unexpected or unattainable expenses, quite often rooted in medical needs, a big reason why GoFundMe campaigns generated $30 billion from 2010 through 2023. (That’s a private, for-profit company, of course.)

Whether Illinois lawmakers can follow through with plans to create a Health Care Availability and Access Board remains a long shot, but even reaching that goal would address only one portion of the myriad ways in which our desire to remain healthy is inextricable from the modern economy, both in our state and especially nationwide.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.