Metro East Sun

One group in particular will benefit from more than $700,000 in property tax rebate checks recently mailed to Shelby Township parcel owners, Dave Barnes, St. Clair Township supervisor,  said during a recent interview.

"The taxpayers," Barnes told Metro East Sun.

That could mean something even more for property owners in Shelby and potentially all of Illinois, Barnes said.

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"Taxes may be reduced," he said.          

And all of that is a good thing, Barnes said.

"I think it's great," he said. "Let the taxpayer decide where their money goes."

Barnes said he would like to see even more out of the General Assembly.

"I would like to see a law that would do away with government health insurance and government pensions," he said. "Let private companies bid on the insurance and the insurance shouldn’t be any better or worse than the private sector, and have all elected officials and employees have a 401k available to them."

Shelby Township mailed out property tax rebate checks shortly before 2018 came to a close and after the Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed House Bill 1896. The bill, sponsored in the House by State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) and the Senate by State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) and approved by Gov. Bruce Rauner in September 2017, caps accumulated funds in Shelby Township. 

The Edgar County Watchdog group estimated the amount the township was required to return to an estimated 2,800 property owners as almost $736,000, with the average check $262.66 per property parcel.

The bill's sponsors were re-elected in November to continue serving in the 102nd and 51st districts respectively.

The 102nd District includes all or parts of Deer Park, Forest Lake and Green Oaks. The 51st District encompasses Champaign, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby and Vermilion.