by: Diane Benjamin
A 1% local Sales Tax increase went into effect in 2016. At least part of that was billed as money for “mental health”.
It was really to pay for the jail addition. Since Illinois re-wrote criminal justice laws making holding offenders more difficult, is that new addition you are still paying for mostly empty?
At least somebody is telling the truth about why the Sales Tax was increased. When the addition is paid off will that 1% Sales Tax go away? Doubtful. When will it be paid off? I have no idea. Most government project bonds are for at least 20 years. It could be up to 40 years. The total cost, including interest, is rarely if ever stated.
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According to this site, the Sales Tax in Bloomington (and Normal) is higher than 82% of other Illinois localities. https://www.salestaxhandbook.com/illinois/rates/bloomington
The schools want you to vote for another 1% with ZERO guarantees your property taxes will decrease.
The increases to assessed value guarantee your property taxes will increase. There are a myriad of ways local school boards can claim they didn’t raise your property taxes – the assessor did.
Want to be #1?
If you want to pay a really high Sales Tax rate vote yes. It will NEVER decrease because government never decreases taxes.
Below is another interesting article about why the jail addition was built. The SAFE-T Act that limited pre-trial detention wasn’t enacted until 2021. Construction on the addition started in 2017.
https://www.wglt.org/news/2017-04-27/jail-addition-ground-breaking-set