Woodstock Home Rule Bogeyman Crawls Out from Under the Bed with 100% City Sales Tax Hike Proposal

Got to hand it to the folks on the Woodstock City Council

I thought the Crystal Lake City Council was bold when it proposed and passed a 75% sales tax hike in 2007.

Crystal Lake hiked its tax from one percent to 1.75%.

Now, the Woodstock City Council, according to the Northwest Herald, plans to double its one percent sales tax.

That’s a 100% increase for those who don’t remember junior high school math (or is that taught in elementary school now).

Reading the NWH article, I see the reporter did not realize it was a 100% increase.

She reported that it was a one percent increase.

What will the money be used for?

Citing a staff memo (see memo from Paul Christensen, dated 3-1-17 in the council packet), the NWH reports it will go for street maintenance and police pensions.

According to a report filed with the Illinois Department of Insurance, Woodstock’s Police Pension Fund is funded at 63.7%.

(In 2012, McHenry County Blog reported Woodstock’s Police Pension Fund in 2011 was funded at 68.5%)

As some compensation for the 100% city sales tax hike, the Council proposes cutting its property tax levy by 10%.

The City Council meets tonight at 7.

If the City Council passes the 10% real estate tax cut, the $9,239,366 that is expected to be collected this spring will decrease to $8,315,429.

The annual estimated new revenue from increasing the city sales tax from one percent to two percent is $2,337,000.


Comments

Woodstock Home Rule Bogeyman Crawls Out from Under the Bed with 100% City Sales Tax Hike Proposal — 14 Comments

  1. I am shocked, just shocked, to learn that a NWH reporter doesn’t understand math.

  2. Woodstock City Council members:

    – Mayor Brian Sager

    – Daniel Hart

    – Maureen Larson

    – Mark Saladin

    – Joseph Starzynski

    – JB Thompson

    – Michael Turner

  3. Did Sager fail to get his ‘husband’s’ permission to run for re-election ….. I don’t see any Sager signs up?

    Will Sager’s doting Mama have to find a new do-nothing Woodstock municipal job if the a new Mayor is elected?

    These are questions I need answers for ….. for my many friends who are Woodstock taxpaying-slaves.

    My prediction: Pshaw Enterprises scraps the rotten NWH within the next 2 years. No more biased and/or fake local news!!!! Yippie …….

  4. Woodstock could have relieved Woodstock property tax by almost the full amount of reduction by simply letting Woodstock TIF expire, or by doing without a useless unneeded roundabout, but they decline to do so.

  5. There is also a $60,000 plus expenses annual expenditure on Springfield lobbbyist.
    Not clear what good that does for taxpayers

  6. There is enormous expense on “Real Woodstock’ or other internet marketing, and while it may benefit City Council members who on bars/restaurants on the Square, it is not clear what benefits accrue to taxpayers

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