My View: Boone County public safety tax raided - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

By Cathy Ward

Posted Oct. 19, 2015 at 5:34 PM
Updated Oct 19, 2015 at 5:38 PM

BELVIDERE — Breaking promises dominates the Boone County Board Finance Committee's plan that recommends balancing the budget by transferring $800,000 from the public safety sales tax reserves.

The full board will vote on this transfer when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

For the record, when the public safety sales tax was passed in 1999, board members and other supporters promised that the tax would “finance bond payments only. Other costs related to the jail expansion will be financed by country general operating funds and/or grants. The statute allows the county to sunset (end) the tax when the bonds are paid.”

But those promises have apparently ended. Committee members voting unanimously for the transfer were Paul Larson, Sherry Giesecke, Karl Johnson and Jeff Carlisle. Board Chairman Bob Walberg also gave his blessing.

When questioned about the legality or ethics of this transfer, Finance Committee Chairman Karl Johnson said this board is not bound in any way by the promises of past boards.

A couple months ago, the majority of the board also took out the clause that said the tax would end in 2018. This year, according to the ordinance in place, only $125,000 should have been transferred from the sales tax revenues and none next year, as the bond would be paid off and the tax would end.

Now, however, that tax, as these board members voted, will probably never end and taxpayers will not have a chance in a referendum to voice their support or protest.

During the budget talks, several options were listed as possible ways to balance the budget, such as making cuts or transferring from other funds, but most were quickly rejected.

I submit that this proposal is simply a quick fix, a Band-Aid approach to the much bigger problem that the county is simply spending far more than it can afford. Next year, the deficit will be much bigger and the public safety sales tax will not be enough to fill the widening gap.

My associates have given me several options for balancing the budget in addition to making cuts, such as sell the land we own on Illinois 76, support the plan for wind farms that will bring millions to all our taxing bodies, hold a referendum and ask taxpayers for their support or protest, merge departments such as the Belvidere police and the Boone County Sheriff's Department, or outsource work and cut staff and benefits.

Clearly we need a sound business plan that businesses and families have known is essential to staying in business or staying solvent. We have many people in our county who could assist us in doing this. I don't believe their answer would ever be just borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.

Unless a sound plan is made soon, RAISING TAXES WILL BE INEVITABLE.

The county still owes $1.8 million for the jail built in 2000, which cost about $9 million, even though $19 million has been paid by taxpayers. Transfers have been going on for years, but all previous board have said definitely that the tax will end in 2018.

Not this board. All bets and promises are off.

There is a price to be paid, however, a far greater price I believe. Yes, this Band-Aid will work this year but not for long. As a friend told me, he will never again vote for a referendum for the county. He is quite sure promises mean nothing.

That's a terrible price to pay.

Cathy Ward is a member of the Boone County Board.

 

Above is from:  My View: Boone County public safety tax raided - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL