Peoria weighs tax work-off program

I was shocked our city was considering this type of program. I think it is a great idea and a great way for individuals to work off their debts. It gives them an option to take responsibility for their debt. I was sad to hear that most of the programs that they are considering are for seniors. I know there are a lot of younger couples that have trouble with paying their taxes as well.

If the city could leverage individuals for reception positions, garbage pick-up, creating/updating their website instead of paying thousands of dollars, marketing, calling individuals to obtain information... the list goes on. I personally do not have first hand knowledge of the city nor the county's needs. I believe there is a lot of work that could be done to pay off individual's debt and reduce the city and county's operating overhead at the same time.

In today's article on the topic in Peoria Journal star, one person mentions that it is not a large portion of our taxes that go to the city. A majority is paid to the school district, with other portions going to municipalities, libraries, park and fire districts. Well...could those organizations benefit from having individuals work for them instead of getting the money? Could the library use someone to help check people out and put books away in exchange for reducing their debt? I would think so.

Now I know there has to be restrictions on who is allowed and how much they can work off versus how much they have to pay, but it would be a great program to open up to others who are having difficulty in this tough economic time as means to help with the financial strain, not just seniors. It would reduce the overhead of the city/county and help the community out at the same time. To me it sounds like a win-win...maybe I am missing something?

The article also made mention that other places have instituted similar programs. They quoted that Oregon, Colorado and Massachusetts, to name a few. Boulder County in Colorado initiated a Senior Rax Work-off program (1986) to enable seniors to earn money equal to the amount of property taxes owed. Seniors were hired at $10/hour and jobs were given on a first come first serve basis. Boston (2007) initiated a similar program which offered up to $750 in property tax relief, but only to seniors in a certain income bracket in exchange for volunteer service.