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"To the Editor:<br /><br />As Madison County Treasurer the question I&rsquo;m often asked by taxpayers is &ldquo;why are my taxes so high?&rdquo;<br /><br />My response is, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t determine your taxes. I simply collect them.&rdquo;<br /><br />Taxes go up for several reasons. Sometimes elections make a difference.<br /><br />With Election Day around the corner (April 7) and early voting starting weeks before (March 23) it&rsquo;s important to know what&rsquo;s on the ballot.<br /><br />This election you will see school-related referenda in several districts asking for levy changes.<br /><br />In Granite City and Triad, voters are being asked to approve levy increases.<br />Granite City is asking taxpayers for 80 cents more per $100 of assessed valuation. Triad wants 50 cents more.<br /><br />Taxpayers with a home worth $100,000 would pay approximately $266 in additional taxes per year in the Granite City School District and $166 in Triad.<br /><br />Voters in East-Alton Wood River High School district and the Wood River-Hartford and East Alton elementary districts are being asked if the districts should be dissolved and a new single district created.<br /><br />By law, voters will establish the levy of specific funds &mdash; education, operations and building maintenance, transportation, health and life safety, working cash and lease.<br /><br />Assuming a property valued at $100,000, it is estimated that taxes will decrease by $30 per year for people who currently pay in the EAWR/Wood River-Hartford districts and by $120 in the EAWR/East Alton districts.<br /><br />School officials say the remaining levies &mdash; social security, liability insurance, IMRF, bonds, etc. &mdash; will be established by a newly elected school board and are not projected to increase.<br /><br />Your vote is your voice. Be heard!<br /><br />Kurt Prenzler<br />Madison County Treasurer"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://madisonrecord.com/stories/510557677-voters-have-the-say-in-local-tax-questions>