Katsenes and Pekau are angry that I exposed their TIF district’s threat to taxpayers

By Ray Hanania

04/24/09 The dangers of Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau’s secret TIF district proposals

I am not surprised Orland Park Trustee Cindy Katsenes, a local real estate agent at Village Realtyattacked me personally at the council meeting on Tuesday evening and also Mohammed Jaber for raising issues regarding her and Pekau’s TIFDistrict proposal. Katsenes and Pekau are hiding something and do not want to reveal it in detail because their TIF plans will have a huge negative impact on taxpayers and our local schools.

You have to listen to this interview I do with TIF expert Tom Tresser where he explains how easily TIFs can be manipulated to benefit politicians and their failed fiscal policies and to cover up debt (Orland Park, Katsenes and Pekau have failed to file village financial audits for two years in a row now).

Veteran TIF investigator and TUF author Tom Tresser details the dangers of abusing a TIF: diverting property tax dollars from taxing entities such as school districts, libraries and other local agencies to prop up the state debt, reward contractors and ratepayers, and take advantage of the TIF’s benefits that facilitate public disclosure.

TIF expert and author Tom Tresser discusses the dangers of a TIF district and how they apply to Orland Park taxpayers

Katsenes and Pekau are angry that I exposed their TIF district’s threat to taxpayers — TIF expert and author Tom Tresser discusses the dangers of a TIF district and how they apply to Orland Park taxpayers

The TIF districts proposed in Orland Park could be part of an effort to pay off municipalities’ enormous debts, award huge, lucrative contracts to local developers who have donated to politicians, and place enormous burdens on taxpayers.

TIFs require a property area to be designated as “forfeit,” but that’s an easily achieved description. This is essential education about the dangers of a TIF being exploited by an untrustworthy mayor who hasn’t given enough information about how the proposed TIFs will work or where the money will go.

The public’s right to know is not addressed in a TIF district. This can be accomplished by providing proper notice and fully informing the public of the financial aspects of a TIF. For more information about Tresser, visit www.Tresser.com. Also visit Tom’s website, The TIF Illumination Project, at www.TIFReports.com. For more information about Ray Hanania, visit www.Hanania.com.

Watch the video interview using the widget below or Click this link to watch it on YouTube.

Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter who has lived in Orland Park since 1986. He writes for many suburban newspapers, including The Regional News. For more information on this and other topics, visit his website at hanania.com. Information on subscribing to his columns and video podcasts is below.. send him an email at [email protected].

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