You know Crystal Lake has been mismanaged when the Crystal Lake City Council is talking about raising its sales tax by 75%.
Right now, Crystal Lake taxes all sales, including food and drugs, at 1% of what you pay for it.
Chief tax hiker Aaron Shepley said he “was tired of ‘marching in place’ when it came to a variety of city projects,” according to Jim Butts’ article in the Northwest Herald.
Shepley wants to extract another $4.7 million a year from us. And, even more if redevelopment occurs as hoped.
Apparently living within one’s means never occurred to Shepley.
Councilman Jeff Thorsen gets it.
He argued against the $4.7 million per year tax hike.
When I talked to him Wednesday, Thorsen explained,
”We’ve got a lot of potential development and redevelopment along the Northwest corridor.
“We have future sources of retail income, but we need to be sure we don’t create a disincentive for locating here.
“Woodstock’s not a home rule city so they have a sales tax just like we do now.
“The Metra tax is coming up.
“And, there’s a potential increase in the Illinois state income tax of two percent points.
“That’s tax, tax, tax”
But the city council plans to sneak in the tax right before the RTA sales tax increase of one-half of one percentage point goes into effect April 1st.
After both the Crystal Lake and the RTA sales taxes take affect, shoppers will be paying 7.75%, rather than the current 6.5%.
“A week from now,” Thorsten stated. “That’s when they are going to vote that in. Tuesday night.”
Guess it’s time to start shopping in Woodstock.
= = = = =
If you want to make your views known, emails may be sent to comments@crystallake.org. In the subject line, put the name of the council member you wish to get your email.
In case you need reminding, here are their names
- Ralph Dawson,
- Cathy Ferguson,
- Dave Goss,
- Brett Hopkins,
- Ellen Brady Mueller,
- Aaron Shepley, and
- Jeff Thorsen.
If you don’t want to city council to raise your city sales tax 75%, you might to email each of them.