Cook board defers action on sales tax hike

Two websites wanted to curb this thing before it really got started. John Ruberry's Marathon Pundit and Illinois Review. I'm sure there are others but I haven't seen it. Also I should note that Rich Miller on the Capitol Fax Blog has compared the situation in Cook County to the "personality clash" happening in Springfield.

Anyway here's this piece of good news from Crain's this afternoon...

The Cook County Board on Monday rebuffed efforts to more than triple the county sales tax — at least for now.

After at times bitter debate, the board voted by a narrow 9-to-7 margin to defer any action on the plan to boost the levy to 2.75% from 0.75% until at least mid-October.

That means no tax increase actually could take effect until at least April 1, 2008, because the deadline for first-quarter tax hikes under state law was Monday.

The increase, which would give Chicago the nation’s highest sales tax, at 11%, was proposed and strongly advocated by board President Todd Stroger, who argued that it was needed to keep the county from imposing sharp cuts in service at the county hospital and throughout its network of health clinics.

But Mr. Stroger was not able to secure a crucial vote from Commissioner Roberto Maldonado, who claimed that Mr. Stroger’s allies had threatened to step up enforcement against illegal immigrants if he did not support the bill. Mr. Stroger denied any such threat. Without Mr. Maldonado’s backing, Mr. Stroger apparently was short one vote, and the matter was deferred.

Oh yeah I just wanted to post a piece of this story today about the Cook County Sales Tax but it interested me...

Speaking at a church full of supporters wearing yellow buttons saying "Save the Cook County Health System," County Board President Todd Stroger on Sunday revealed his support for a controversial 2 percentage-point bump in the county sales tax.

Stroger said the tax hike would eliminate a $307 million deficit and stave off cuts to county hospitals and clinics. "We have to save our health care system," he said after a rally at Sweet Holy Spirit Church near 87th and South Chicago.

Oh yeah the man who's at the center of the downstate "personality clash" found a reason to chime in...

But in an appearance Sunday on WMAQ-Channel 5's "City Desk," Gov. Blagojevich came out swinging against a sales tax hike, saying "it's wrong" and "disproportionally hurts low-income and working-class families."

"We are trying to pass access to health care for everybody that would ease the Cook County health care budget by $300 million," the governor said.

Why did I post that brief tidbit about Todd Stroger at a church. Well that church is run by Bishop Larry Trotter who had a role in the who soap opera that saw Todd Stroger replace his father, former Cook County Board President John Stroger, on the ballot. I just had to bring that up, that was the first thing on my mind. Unfortunately.

Oh and the Governor that's just great. One thing I don't like about politicians is that most don't seem to want to make the difficult choices and they like to grandstand. Some may be well meaning but most have this thing about looking good. Of course some doesn't seem to have a whole lot of shame when they're doing it.

Ah well this is what's going on in Cook County right now.