On Monday, Nov. 16, 2015, the Batavia City Council did something remarkable for a unit of government: at the public hearing on the budget, they listened to the people and voted to cut a final $150,000 from the budget so as to not raise property taxes.

Yes, just about everything else is going up, as the Prairie State burden keeps growing and infrastructure is aging and in need of work (increases: 6% electricity, 3% water, 6% sewer, $1 leaf and brush pickup, 1 cent gas tax, new 2% liquor tax), but that property tax sure felt like the last straw. Citizens have some control with consumption taxes, but the property tax would have hit everyone, with no way to reduce the impact. A few dollars added to the property tax bill may not seem like much, but it all adds up.