McLEAN COUNTY (25News Now) - Governor JB Pritzker has signed a bill that expands the Central Illinois Regional Airport Authority.
The legislation essentially expands the taxing body to include all of McLean County.
It creates a new property tax for county landowners living outside of Bloomington-Normal and also lowers the property tax for Bloomington-Normal residents.
The bill would reduce the tax rate for people in Bloomington-Normal by about 33%. It would bring their current 14 cents per $100 of assessed value to 9.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.
For people outside the Twin Cities, it would be about $55 more a year for the owner of a house valued at $175,000.
Opponents, including the McLean County Farm Bureau, said the issue of creating the taxing district should be decided by voters rather than the legislature.
Lexington Mayor Spencer Johansen said he was “disappointed in the governor and those that pushed this bill through,” in a statement to 25News.
“Personally, I stand equally disappointed at the Central Illinois Regional Airport Authority for their lack of transparency to the residents of rural McLean County,” he said. “This should have been placed on a ballot for our citizens to decide.”
Airport board chairman Alan Sender provided the following statement.
“The legislation signed by Governor Pritzker will give the current and future airport boards and managers the tools to respond to unexpected fiscal pressures and further develop the airport’s strategic role as a key contributor to the Central Illinois economy. Although changes to the airport board and governing structure will take some months to implement, the reorganization will transition CIRA from it’s original 1960s-era structure to the modern framework enjoyed by other commercial airports in Illinois. We appreciate the governor taking this action and are grateful for the leadership of Senator Dave Koehler and other legislators who ensured passage of this important legislation.”
The law goes into effect immediately.
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