Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is calling on some county residents to contact their respective commissioner to help block a potential Tuesday override of the county’s one-cent sales tax increase.
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is calling on some county residents to contact their respective commissioner to help block a potential Tuesday override of the county’s one-cent sales tax increase. The county board meets Tuesday and several commissioners may look to trump Stroger’s veto of the sales tax repeal measure that was passed earlier this summer. If an unpopular sales tax that took effect last year is rescinded at Tuesday’s meeting, Stroger said it could result in massive health care cuts, including county clinic closures. “Recently, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to rescind the penny-on-a-dollar, Cook County sales tax that passed in 2008. I vetoed the bill because of the devastating impact it would have on Cook County residents and taxpayers,” Stroger said in a written statement. “If the sales tax increase of a penny-on-the-dollar is eliminated, more than $400 million in yearly revenue will be lost." The cuts have been a sore spot for Stroger, especially in the wake of the poor national economy. “No one likes tax increases, and I understand the frustration surrounding last year’s hike. However, this does not justify attacking vital services at such a critical economic moment,” the president, who is running for re-election in 2010, said. He added that roughly 90 percent of the county’s budget goes to fund health care and public safety, so drops in revenue would cripple the system. Previously, Stroger said if the county had to roll back the sales tax he would be forced to close Provident Hospital on the South Side and south suburban Oak Forest Hospital along with all county health clinics. If the commissioners override the veto and the rollback happens, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2010. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
About Post Author
