Ares Dalianis

Two reports issued in the past week illuminate the explosive growth in the use of tax increment financing (TIF) districts throughout Illinois and how those TIF districts are affecting the property tax burden for local taxpayers.

In a recent decision, the Illinois Appellate Court found in favor of the Village of Winfield (the “Village”) when two local school districts challenged the Village’s formation of a tax increment financing (“TIF”) district. The School Districts argued that the Village did not meet the requirements of the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act (“TIF Act”) and the Village was not allowed to ‘de-TIF/re-TIF’ a portion of its downtown in forming a TIF district.

Legislation passed earlier this month requires some school boards in Cook County to act swiftly in a changing landscape related to school treasurers. At issue are “township trustees of schools” offices and their treasurers – often referred to as the township treasurer’s office (“TTO”) – a public body that is elected and stands independent from school districts in many townships within Cook County.