The Town of Cicero will unveil a proposed budget for 2013 that again maintains spending at current levels with no increase in property taxes or other taxes, Cicero Town Assessor Emilio “Emo” Cundari stated.
President Larry Dominick said the Town has been able to maintain and even increase public services such as street cleaning, police and fire, events programming and senior services without asking the public for additional taxes.
Cundari said the proposed amount of Cicero’s 2013 Tax Levy is $27,172,230 and represents no increase over the levy for the current year, 2012.
“In fact, the Dominick Administration has been responsible for seven tax levies (2006 through 2012), and no increase was proposed in five of these levies,” Cundari explained.
“While addressing rising health care and pension costs, expanded town services, and a slow-to-recover state and local economy, President Dominick and the Town Board have held the line on the town’s annual tax levy through seven years of service.”
Dominick said that this year has seen a significant increase in new businesses that have relocated to the Town of Cicero and the town will benefit from increased sales taxes from retail sales and from the new businesses.
“I know the past few years have been very difficult times for the average citizen. The public has been forced in this economy and cut back on their spending and I don’t think it is fair to ask them to do more,” Dominick said.
“Government can work harder and better, as we have done, with what we have.”
The Town has absorbed the majority of the water rate increases imposed by the City of Chicago.
“The water rate hikes from Chicago, which the Town of Cicero has no control over, have been unfair to our residents. The Town has absorbed most of the increases to alleviate the burden on homeowners for water usage,” Dominick said.
Dominick said that Cicero continues to enjoy more public and government services than any other community in the Chicagoland suburbs.
“No other community can match what we do for our residents.”
Dominick said he was particularly proud of the extensive programs and events that Cicero provides to Senior Citizens, youth, families, the disabled. For the seventh year in a row, Cicero will host a clothing and toy giveaway in December for families in financial need providing clothes, school supplies and toys to the children.
“Our streets are clean and they are safe. Cicero has an aggressive anti-street gang program to keep our residents safe against street gang related crimes,” Dominick said.
“We were named one of the safest cities in America in 2010 and we are proud to continue that record of confronting these street gang criminals. We do not want them to come back to Cicero. Those groups that are cozying up to street gangs are hurting everyone in the Town of Cicero.”
