The county board voted 17 to 4 in favor of putting this tax hike before voters. It specifically centers on the county's public safety sales tax, which was created in the late 1990's to pay for the Stephenson County Jail. The proposal will ask voters to bring that sales tax from a half cent to a penny. It would fund public safety needs, like improvements at the existing jail. And also provide dollars for other law enforcement agenices in the county, including rural fire departments. But opponents were quick to say... No more taxes... And feel the county needs to better control it's own spending. "We already have access to money projected next year. We don't need to put another half cent on and make it a full cent," said County Board Member Bill Hadley. "What we need is alternative sources of revenues because we're faced with the crunch of property tax caps so we're just looking at any options that we have at this point," said County Board Member Todd McKenna.
County board Chairman John Blum says this referendum would bring an extra $1.5 million to the county. He also says if it passes, the sales tax increase would not affect food, medicine and vehicle purchases. The county is facing a Monday deadline to put this question on the ballot for the February election. There appeared to be no concerns from the board tonight about filing the paperwork on time.