Thursday, April 10, 2014

Gov. Pat Quinn in Rockford Thursday to make major Amtrak announcement | The Rock River Times

 

According to sources, Quinn’s announcement will be about more than just rail subsidies. Officials have reportedly scrapped a plan to make Rockford a stop on a southern Canadian National route, as initially pushed by city leaders. Instead, Rockford and Belvidere will be stops along a northern route from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa on tracks owned by Union Pacific.

The new Amtrak station will be built at 815 S. Main St., downtown.

The new Amtrak station will be built at 815 S. Main St., downtown.

The new route will send the train through centrally located McHenry County creating what officials hope to be steady influx of downtown activity. Amtrak is expected to be a key component in both the Amerock and Ingersoll redevelopment projects.

Monday, April 7, the City Council approved the plan to turn the Amerock building into a 150-room hotel and convention center. The proposal to transform the nearby Ingersoll building into a 104,000-square-foot sports complex is still pending. The matter will reportedly be up for a city council vote in coming weeks.

In 2012, Rockford received $5 million in state and federal funds toward the Amtrak project. The total cost was estimated at around $60 million.

The amount of additional subsidies has not been released. Funds are part of Quinn’s six-year, $8.6 billion construction plan aimed to improve roads and bridges and establish passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline, Ill.

The new Amtrak station will be at 815 S. Main St., where the old Black Hawk line provided passenger service from 1974-81. The depot then sat vacant until it was demolished in 2011.

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Gov. Pat Quinn in Rockford Thursday to make major Amtrak announcement | The Rock River Times

Who Pays America’s Highest (and Lowest) Property Taxes? - Yahoo Homes

 

Who Pays America’s Highest (and Lowest) Property Taxes?

Zillow

By Camille Salama April 9, 2014 12:31 PM

    The second biggest cost of home ownership — following the mortgage — is usually property taxes. In 2012, U.S. homeowners paid an average of about $2,800 in property taxes, according to a recent Zillow study. And if you live in New York, New Jersey, or Colorado your taxes were in some cases five times more than the national average. The numbers are based on an average of real estate taxes paid on single family housing in 2012.

    The residents of Westchester County in New York pay more in property taxes than the typical resident of any other major American county. The average property tax bill for a single family home in Westchester County comes to $14,829 a year.

    Want to know how your county stacks up against the rest of the country? Check out our rankings below.

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    Adjusting for the average cost of single-family homes in each county, homeowners in Allegany County, NY win the award for the highest property tax burden. The average tax obligation of $2,549 in Allegany County amounts to 3.8 percent of the average single family home value; in Westchester County, the average tax obligation is slightly lower, at 2.5 percent of the county’s average home value. Nationally, the typical homeowner is spending approximately 1.4 percent of their home’s value on annual property taxes. See the full rankings below.

    Highest Property Taxes as a Percent of Home Value

    1. Allegany County, NY (3.76%)
    2. Milwaukee County, WI (3.68%)
    3. Kendall County, IL (3.57%)
    4. Sullivan County, NY (3.56%)
    5. Orleans County, NY (3.49%)

    Lowest Property Taxes as a Percent of Home Value

    1. Caroline County, VA (0.17%)
    2. Catahoula County, LA and Randolph AR (0.2%)
    3. Iberville County, LA and Cumberland County, TN (0.21%)
    4. Butler County, PA and Maui County, HI (0.22%)
    5. Elmore County, AL and De Soto County, LA (0.23%)

    Who Pays America’s Highest (and Lowest) Property Taxes? - Yahoo Homes