Press Release from the Illinois Department of Transportation

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois has been recognized as the top state in the country for road safety, according to The State of Safety report released by the National Safety Council. The report uses a grading system to rank states based on policy and laws pertaining to key safety issues.

“While it’s an honor to see our efforts recognized at a national level, the high ranking comes with responsibility,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “Now, more than ever, we have to continue developing new strategies to make zero fatalities a reality and improve safety for all who travel on Illinois roads.”

The report analyzes best practices, policies and laws throughout the nation as they pertain to safety across roadways, home and communities and workplaces. The road safety section is based on eight subcategories: impaired driving, child passenger safety, distracted driving, issues for older drivers, seat belts, speeding, teen drivers and vulnerable road users.

For more information, visit the National Safety Council website or click here for the full state-by-state report.

http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/35769166/search-underway-for-il-man-missing-since-sunday

GRAND CHAIN, IL – (Krystle Callais, WPSD -TV  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man who has been missing since Sunday.

Deputies are looking for Michael Shawn Neal of Karnak, Illinois.

He was last heard from Sunday evening. His family says he was camping at Grand Chain Lodge located in Grand Chain, Illinois.

Some of his items were found at his tent, which was at a campsite about a half mile away from the lodge. Other items were found near the Ohio River.

read:http://wgntv.com/2017/06/27/powerball-mega-millions-ticket-sales-to-be-suspended-prize-payments-delayed/

SPRINGFIELD, IL- (WGN-TV.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Powerball and Mega Millions are pulling out of Illinois effective tomorrow night because of the state budget crisis.

Powerball ticket sales will end after tomorrow night’s drawing.  Mega Millions sales will stop on Friday night.

While the Illinois lottery will continue to hold drawings, anyone who wins more than $25,000 dollars will have their prize payments delayed.

Without a state budget, there’s no appropriation to pay the multi-state lottery agency that runs Powerball and Mega Millions

Press release from the Illinois Department of Revenue

Jefferson County has been issued a final property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000, according to Constance Beard, Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.

The property assessment equalization factor, often called the “multiplier”, is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law.  This equalization is particularly important because some of the state’s 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties (e.g. school districts, junior college districts, fire protection districts).  If there were no equalization among counties, substantial inequities among taxpayers with comparable properties would result.

Under a law passed in 1975, property in Illinois should be assessed at one-third (1/3) of its market value.  Farm property is assessed differently, with farm homesites and dwellings subject to regular assessing and equalization procedures, but with farmland assessed at one-third of its agriculture economic value.  Farmland is not subject to the state equalization factor.

Assessments in Jefferson County are at 32.85 percent of market value, based on sales of properties in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The equalization factor currently being assigned is for 2016 taxes, payable in 2017.  Last year’s equalization factor for the county was 1.0000.

The final assessment equalization factor was issued after a public hearing on the tentative factor.  The tentative factor issued in March 2017 was 1.0000.

The equalization factor is determined annually for each county by comparing the price of individual properties sold over the past three years to the assessed value placed on those properties by the county supervisor of assessments/county assessor.

If this three-year average level of assessment is one-third of the market value, the equalization factor will be one (1).  If the average level of assessment is greater than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be less than one (1).  And if the average level of assessment is less than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be greater than one (1).

A change in the equalization factor does not mean total property tax bills will increase or decrease.  Tax bills are determined by local taxing bodies when they request money each year to provide services to local citizens.  If the amount requested by local taxing districts is not greater than the amount received in the previous year, then total property taxes will not increase even if assessments increase.

The assessed value of an individual property determines what portion of the tax burden a specific taxpayer will assume.  That individual’s portion of tax responsibility is not changed by the multiplier.