Robert "Bob" Brandt
Trustee - Village of Woodridge (2003-2007)
Miscellaneous Page:
Most of the tax rates held steady or actually declined but your property tax bill probably went up because of the assessment of your property. Check the "fair cash value" box - it's higher than last year. Who's responsible for that? - your township assessor.
Did you know that the U.S. National Debt was $5.7 trillion when President Bush took office in January 2001? As of August 2006, the debt was $8.5 trillion. President Bush and Congress have borrowed over $1.1 billion per day since Bush's election to support federal spending, tax cuts, etc. The interest payments on the debt were $321 billion in 2003.
US Federal Government Spending:
2001 - $1,863,770,000,000 (when George W. Bush took office)
2002 - $2,010,970,000,000 - 7.9% spending increase
2003 - $2,157,637,000,000 - 7.3% spending increase
2004 - $2,318,834,000,000 - 7.5% spending increase
2005 - $2,399,843,000,000 - 3.5% spending increase
In honor of Tax Day, click here for see Presidential income tax returns.
Garbage Stickers - Effective May 1, 2005, garbage stickers will cost $2.35 (currently $2.43). Rates in 2006 will be $2.46; rates in 2007 will be $2.56.
* NEW SERVICE * - unlimited leaf pick-up in yardwaste bags will be free for the month of November.
Click here for illustrations of the various taxes in Woodridge.
Sales Tax Rates: effective January 2007
Naperville - 6.75%
Lisle - 6.75%
Downers Grove - 7.25%
Woodridge - 7.25% - click here for a newspaper article
Darien - 7.5%
Lemont - 7.75%
Bolingbrook - 8.0%
Have you taken the Energy Pledge? If every US household replaced its most heavily used incandescent light bulbs with CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs), electricity use for lighting could be cut in half. This would cut our annual carbon dioxide pollution by about 62.5 million tons, halting the growth in our country’s global warming pollution. Go to www.energystar.gov to take the "Change a Light, Change the World" pledge:
UPDATE: In January 2007, I installed a 150 watt equivalent (42 watts actual) light purchased at Home Depot for $9.97) in our family room that will last 9 years and save $108 in energy costs.
Problems with ComEd?
(1) call ComEd at 800-334-7661 to report each and every occurrence;
(2) file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission at 800-524-0795 or www.icc.illinois.gov (click here to see a copy of my complaint) and
(3) file a claim with ComEd if you suffer any damage from the outages.
Click here for a flyer to print out with all of the above information.
Click here for Snow Removal Guidelines and Hints for shoveling your driveway
(from Public Works in 2004).
Bears vs. Packers (Brandt vs. Murphy)
Mayor Murphy is a Packers fan and I am a Bears fan so we have a standing wager on the Bears - Packers game.
12-31-06 - Packers 26, Bears 7
09-10-06 - Bears 26, Packers 0
12-25-05 - Bears 24, Packers 17 - 7 donuts to Brandt
12-04-05 - Bears 19, Packers 7 - 12 donuts to Brandt
01-02-05 - Packers 31, Bears 14 - 17 donuts to Murphy
09-19-04 - Bears 21, Packer 10 - 11 donuts to Brandt
12-07-03 - Packers 34, Bears 21 - 13 donuts to Murphy
09-29-03 - Packers 38, Bears 23 - 15 donuts to Murphy
Click here to receive AMBER ALERTS on your cell phone.
Carbon Monoxide detectors are required in every dwelling according to state law. Click here for a newspaper article.
Open Burning is prohibited in Woodridge. Firepits must burn proper material (i.e. seasoned wood). Click here for a summary of the ordinance. Violaters face a $50 fine.
Monitor gas prices in Illinois by clicking here.
Click here for a list of all multi-family complexes in Woodridge
Keep track of criminals - Click here to locate an inmate in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Click here to locate an inmate in the county (and state also).
Looking to donate to a charity in Woodridge? Click here for a list of local charities (including all charities previously listed on my Trustee web page).
Want to work for the Village of Woodridge? Call 630-960-7070 for information on the Village's open positions, including a general description and minimum requirements of each position.
Property Tax Comparison - click for a comparison of the various taxing bodies in Woodridge and DuPage County from 1990 to 2004. FYI: The Village of Woodridge tax rate has decreased 56.2% since 1990.
Types of Municipal Taxes - click for a comprehensive list of all taxes available to municipalities to levy. Woodridge requires around $28 million a year to operate - do you have a preference on how to raise that revenue?
If you want to read an inspiration speech, click here for Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.
Safety Tips - click here for techniques to keep your children safe from abductions.
Illinois Municipal League - Established in 1914, the Illinois Municipal League offers membership to any city, village, or incorporated town in the State of Illinois (including Woodridge, IL).
DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference - The DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, a council of 36 municipal governments in DuPage County, Illinois (including Woodridge), was founded in 1962.
DuPage County Election Commission - The Election Commission is charged with the conduct of all federal, state, county and local elections occurring within its boundaries.
Illinois State Board of Elections - The State Board of Elections is an independent state agency that was provided for by the 1970 Illinois Constitution to supervise the registration of voters and the administration of elections throughout the state.
Click here to follow the case of the Downers Grove teenagers charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery for attacking a Woodridge boy with a baseball bat. Case #04CF905 and 04CF165801.
UPDATE: Each defendant pled guilty and received a five year prison sentence. Click here for a newspaper article, click here for case details.
Cash Dash - The Treasurer of the State of Illinois is holding over $1 billion in hidden wealth that belongs to Illinois residents. Find out if any of it is yours.
Bright Start Savings - A college savings program sponsored by the Treasurer of the State of Illinois. A great way to save for college.
Education - click here for my undergraduate and graduate education.
Crime Statistics for Woodridge - from the Illinois State Police (population of Woodridge is 30,934). Click here for crime definitions.
Per Sexual Assault / Car
1,000 Murder Assault Robbery Battery Burglary Theft Theft Arson Total
2006 22.4 0 19 12 17 97 479 23 4 651
2005 22.3 1 6 9 24 120 558 33 5 756
2004 22.9 1 8 11 33 99 565 38 16 771
2003 25.3 0 4 13 35 111 638 42 11 852
2002 28.0 0 6 12 41 93 679 27 9 867
2001 31.9 1 7 16 42 65 803 42 11 987
2000 25.0 0 4 7 38 100 578 34 4 765
1999 30.5 0 3 16 38 111 650 42 9 869
1998 36.3 1 2 19 37 126 785 47 19 1,036
1997 32.0 0 7 13 36 95 710 43 9 913
2000 Woodridge Census -
2003 Population - 30,934
1990 Population - 26,256
% Change 1990 to 2000 - +17.8%
Nationalities:
White - 75.2%
Asian / Pacific Islands - 11.2%
Hispanic - 9.1%
Black - 8.0%
Multi race - 2.1%
Native American - 0.1%
Other - 3.1%
Diverse Population = Striving for a Diverse Workforce:
2000 Woodridge Census: White - 75%, Asian - 11%, Hispanic - 9%, Black - 8% (top four)
Current Employees: White - 94%, Hispanic - 3%, Black - 3%, Asian - 1%
(may not equal 100% due to rounding)
DID YOU KNOW?:
- that the "equalized assessed value" of all real estate in Woodridge surpassed $1,000,000,000 in 2007? That enabled the Village to reduce the property tax rate for the 21st year in a row.
- that if you get a $75 speeding ticket in Woodridge - the Village gets only $40 with the rest going to the County?
- that each day, nearly 6,000 children smoke their first cigarette, according to the American Lung Association. Nearly one-third will become regular smokers.
