Avon Township Supervisor Sam Yingling, Highway Commissioner Tom Brust, Clerk Lisa Rusch, and Trustees Chris Ditton, Randy Evangelides and Mark Feldstein, fulfilling a campaign pledge to give back pay raises put in place by the previous administration, presented their third check for $16,633.22 at the last Avon Township Board Meeting.

The total amount of salary pay-returns will total nearly $30,000.00 by the end of 2011 pay cycle.

Supervisor Yingling, whose amount is $16,035.00 or just over half of the total, is proud that Avon Township has successfully streamlined operations, enabling Avon Township to reduce taxes every year and post a record surplus last fiscal year.  The pay raise returns will continue to assist in the operations of Avon Township to reduce the property taxes without cutting services.

Next month Avon Township will hold its annual tax levy hearing and consider additional tax reductions that will bring the collective reductions to over 20%.

"We have a broken property tax system that rewards bad behavior," said Yingling, an outspoken critic of the State's antiquated Township Code.

"It's unthinkable to me that anyone can justify continuing a dysfunctional system that has lead to Lake County having the highest property taxes in the Midwest and among the highest in the nation.  With our constituents struggling in the worst economic climate since the Great Depression, we as elected officials must do everything we can to reduce the tax burden on our residents."