By: Diane Benjamin
A question is on the ballot for Allin Township:
This was passed at the December meeting. Read the minutes, does this sound like they NEED the money or just WANT it?
See the minutes here: Allin Township Meeting
Before you vote, know what the current rate you pay is, both General and Ambulance are maxed out:
This tax would be new. Likely it will be maxed out too.
Next, you need to know what other township citizens pay, every one is lower than you pay now:
Asking questions yet?
You should be!
Anytime a unit of government is charging nearly double (tax rates) to perform EXACTLY the same services as comparable, area units of government, their taxpayers should be very, VERY concerned. (And elected officials should probably get “unelected”.)
I generally agree with most of your posts.. Questioning something, I agree with, but this message is coming off as if they are already doing something wrong. Many ambulance services have survived the last 30-40 years on donations and volunteer staff. They’ve also built up a nice little nest egg over the years that they can dip in to when the need arises. Many volunteer ambulance services have had to turn to paid staff due to lack of volunteers. Their nice little nest egg that was built up is depleting quickly and their equipment is hitting the age of needing replaced. In order to perform the exact same service, additional revenue is required. I’m not a fan of increased taxes. So either the community service goes, you rely on another district to answer your calls or do something like Fulton County did with their ambulance service. Maybe this isn’t the situation Allin Township is facing, but gathering additional information on why would probably change the tone of your post.
Citizens need to ask questions. There has been a problem for years in the Stanford area of citizens ignoring real issues. They likely don’t even know this is on the ballot.
Absent a justification and explanation–provided BEFORE the ballots are printed–ANY tax increase proposal represents a FAILURE of government to live within its’ means, something we expect every citizen to do.
Your comment is pure speculation and making excuses.
About the Allin Township Rescue Squad. I was one of many that donated to get this started. As a business, I drove through several Townships and did see a few accidents that most were taken care of before my driving upon them. Then on a very sunny day, on a main County Road I was the first vehicle to drive upon a very serious accident, Not only that but both vehicles were people that I knew and did business with. Allin Twsp had NO rescue squad at the time other than a Volunteer Fire Dept. So another, and by the way, out of Tazewell County and also a voluntary Squad’ was called. They had to arrive at their station and wait for the legal number to be there and then drive about eight miles to the scene. Sometime before they arrived, the driver of one of the cars, had someone who came upon this accident, go get the parents of the deceased young man. This young mans father and mother were my very best friends also. Upon the Rescue Squads arrival a blue tarp was placed over the windows of the car to respect the person and his family, while the Coroner arrived. In a very short time the victims parents arrived and the folks from the Rescue squad NEVER let them get to the car. Within a few weeks, Several people got active in forming their Township Rescue Squad and yes it was voluntary but still needed tax money to operate. If you have ever been on a Volunteer Fire Dept or Rescue Squad, you become passionate about doing it. You live to help for there is no money in it for the members. What normally would have happened here would be that the McLean County Rescue Squad, also tax supported, would be called to the scene along. Travail time would have been around three quarters of an hour, In this case that would not have prevent a death as the victim died instantly. As I no longer live in Allin Township, I do not know the Township population, but I lived there from the late sixty’s to the early 2000’s, but it had not grown hardly any. It IS a struggle to meet all the laws and maintain a Squad. Yes there is till voluntary donated money to help by equipment on top of tax monies. I write this not to say they do EVERY THING the appropriate way, but to have you keep in mind the other alternative is what created this Townships way to provide emergence assistance to their Township citizens. It is this kind of situation that is impossible to make all laws fit all situations. I did not write this to argue but to point out some of the real reasons small communities real struggles to just survive.