Property taxpayers often wonder what their township governments actually do for them.
Bremen Township leaders spent $4,108 on a shuttle to Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan, according to the township’s annual Treasurer’s Report.
The report was filed for spending during the 2015-16 fiscal year.
Maggie Crotty, Bremen Township Supervisor and a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate
According to a township newsletter, the township organized a trip last September for Bremen Township seniors to “try their luck” at Four Winds. The trip cost $26, “including motor coach transportation, a $10 food voucher, and $15 ‘instant slot credit.’”
Township Supervisor Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest) didn’t respond to a call for comment.
In 2009, as a state senator, Crotty voted for legislation to expand casino gambling in Illinois and legalize video poker.
Four Winds Casino has 2,600 slot machines, according to its web site. It is 60 miles from the Bremen Township offices, 16361 S. Kedzie in Markham. That casino is more than twice as far as Hollywood Casino in Joliet, which has 1,100 slot machines. It is 28 miles from the Bremen Township Offices.
The report lists $1,197,611 in tax dollar expenditures during 2015-16.
In addition to organizing trips like Four Winds, Bremen Township government is responsible for maintaining 7 miles of Cook County roads that aren’t within the city limits of Oak Forest, Midlothian, Posen or Robbins.
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