"Taxes May Rise If Golf Courses Get Tax Break"
/Claudia Lenart reports on an appeal by historic Onwentsia Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois, where country club land "would be granted open space status and therefore would receive a zero assessment."
Lenart focuses on the likely tax rise for residents should the appeal succeed:
Because the Park Ridge Country Club has a private golf course, Park Ridge taxpayers would likely have to pay more into the tax coffers if the country club stops contributing.
In the Barrington-Lake Zurich area, home to numerous golf courses and country clubs, Ela Township Assessor John Barrington said Ela Township has all or part of seven golf courses that pay over $250,000 in taxes that would be shouldered by residents.
“Somebody will have to pick up this money. It doesn’t go away; it just gets redistributed,” Barrington said.