Whenever I meet new acquaintances and tell them that I live at Sun City, I get the same reaction. They always ask, âHow do you like it?â It is usually a fairly long response as I share with them how pleased we are with the community, the amenities, and the facilities. I usually sum up the conversation by describing Sun City as the Adult version of Disney World.
It had been quite a while since I had someone ask about school (property) taxes. They assumed that Sun City Huntley was exempted from paying property taxes to support schools since it is an adult-only community. They immediately compare it to adult communities in Arizona that do have such an exemption. I have to admit that when Sue and I first looked at Sun City, we also thought that was the situation. During our first meeting with the sales representative, we learned that it was not the case. More than half of the property tax bill goes for educational resources that we cannot use. That almost convinced us to go elsewhere, but the other features and benefits of Sun City helped us overcome the âtaxation without representationâ issue. My latest new acquaintance just couldnât understand how folks would settle for it. He thought the biggest reason for adult communities was the school tax exemption incentive.
That conversation got me to renew my thinking on the tax issue. Our forefathers founded this nation and broke from the mother land due to âtaxation without representation.” There are those that believe the tax is appropriate since their grandchildren live in the community and benefit from the educational system. Others believe that paying the taxes is part of our stewardship responsibility for future generations. I happen to be among those who believe you should âpay as you go.â With hindsight we may have had a different outcome had we been in Arizona, but we are where we are.
I wonder, though, if there is room here for some fresh thinking. Sue and I moved here six years ago, when the economy was in a little better shape. The housing market was showing signs of decline. Then the economy rapidly deteriorated, and since then we have seen a number of neighbors losing their homes to foreclosure. Others are struggling to pay property taxes with their fixed incomes. Before coming to Huntley, Sue and I lived in Geneva. We paid our property taxes there like we do here, but there were several close referendums that advocated âvouchersâ for homeowners sending their children to private schools to help offset the tuition and lessen the tax burden for public resources they werenât using. Such âvouchersâ would not do much for us here at Sun City, since we donât use either private or public education systems.
However, in a similar manner, perhaps residents of Sun City might be awarded âHuntley Bucksâ (Edgewater residents might get âElgin Bucksâ). Such âbucksâ might be restricted for use/redemption with businesses in the respective township in order to stimulate local business growth. This process would not alter the current taxing process and would avoid a revolutionary war like our forefathers had, but it might provide some relief to Sun City residents to offset some taxes they have paid for public resources they are not able to use.
Keep those letters coming, folks. Send your questions and ideas to: The Frugal Forum, P.O. Box 693, Huntley, IL 60142, or, by email to: thefrugalforum@gmail.com.
