Sunday, May 5, 2024

2024 Spring

 

Your governmental services are paid through property taxes which are levied on your annual property tax statement from the Cook County Assessor’s Office.  As Highway Commissioner of Palatine Township, we once again reduced our levy, your tax obligation.  By State Statute, our 2023 Tax Levy is further split, as we receive approximately half the amount.  The other half is distributed to local municipalities to fund additional road improvement and maintenance programs.  Such programs include patching, crack sealing, resurfacing, and complete restoration of neighborhood roadways.  Also included are capital costs for new equipment, vehicles, and facilities to maintain these roadways.

Our 2025 Fiscal Year Operating Budget was approved earlier this year and operates from April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025.  This operating budget is funded by the 2023 Tax Levy and is a separate ordinance.  Each year is completely different from the year’s past as we account for the annual and multiyear equipment, building, and infrastructure maintenance and replacement costs.  Like most everyone, we continue to plan for a third year of higher inflation, ongoing supply chain shortages, and energy increases.  This year we plan to finish roadway improvements along the Hillside Road corridor and within the Thunderbird Estates Subdivision.  Compromised concrete curb and gutter will be removed and replaced, roadways will be milled, patched, and resurfaced.

Our continued services that have been scheduled this year include the Tire Amnesty Program, yard waste collection, and free compost stockpiles.  Early each spring, on selected Saturdays, anyone living in Palatine Township can drop off their used tires free of charge at our garage.  If you are a resident of Palatine Township, stop by and unload your old tires at the Road District Garage, located at: 530 N. Smith Street, Palatine.  Bookending Earth Day, the tire amnesty program will be held from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Saturday April 20, 2024, and Saturday April 27, 2024.  We will begin our annual yard waste collection for the unincorporated areas on April 1, 2024, and will continue through Thanksgiving week, November 20, 2024.  After collecting the waste, we process the material by grinding it, turning it, and letting it age for a year as it breaks down into compost.  We offer free compost for anyone to pick-up at the Road District Garage and Town Hall locations.  Please call for availability, as this material is quickly consumed.

Strong spring storms seem to appear without much warning and usually leave a path of debris.  Our road crews are dispatched immediately to ensure that any obstructed roadways have been cleared.  If damage is extensive, we can focus on collecting storm damage from private properties.  Please call to schedule a pickup.  This will occur only through the following week or two weeks, and we will only collect storm damage if the debris has been placed with branch or cut side facing the edge of the street.  By doing so, they will be manageable for disposal, and we will be able to assist your neighbors more effectively and efficiently.

Thank you for your continued support and consideration.  We will continue to ensure that Palatine Township Road District will be available for all your infrastructure concerns and strive to meet your expectations.  If you have any questions, concerns or need any additional information regarding our services, please feel free to email me at adelmar@palatinetownship-il.gov.