The News Tribune article on the impending increase in sales tax suggested by City Treasurer Gary Hylla has brought more than the usual number of comments. The actual discussion is expected to take place on Monday Sept. 13 at 7:30PM in the council chambers.
Do you agree that this is the way to pay off our debt and pay for city services and employee wages?
Will it drive people to shop online and pay only the base rate of 6.25%? How about eating out? How about the city pool, would you pay more sales tax to help fund a new swimming pool?
23 comments:
I would prefer seeing our city council become more fiscally responsible. They just seem to want to spend, spend, spend with no regards to our debt and deteriorating city. How much longer do they think we can keep on bailing them out before we're broke? We have no one to bail us out so if we can't afford something we just don't buy it. We can't afford a pool now - LET IT REST! We cannot afford a bike path now - LET IT REST! Aldermen - discuss ways to cut costs, discuss ways to improve productivity, discuss ways you can make this city move forward. Quit discussing how to spend our money on things we don't need today or the near future.
Read the News Tribune online regarding this topic. It has generated a great deal of interest not only from citizens of Peru but from citizens of surrounding communities. It also has sparked responses and opinions from local business owners. It just might benefit the council if they would ask for and seek public opinion on this topic before the make a decision.
AMEN 8:19PM
I have been saying the very same thing for many weeks now but it seems like it falls on deaf ears because some of the supporters of the Mayor and department heads just want to spend more and more money and blame Mr Baker.
Lets get off of it about Baker, it is the current Mayor and dept hds whom are to blame for the past 18 months of their foolish spending and wanting to blame the city council. That is just Garbage..
Don't blame the city council they are only responding to the requests by the people who claim to be running the city expenses.
NO MONEY MEANS, DO NOT BUY OR SPEND. What is in this wording that the Mayor and Dept Hds DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
"Running a city 101 class is needed or replacements are necessary sooner then later"
The proposal before the Council to increase the local sales tax is in effect a consumer price increase. This ill conceived plan will hurt many people in our area – particularly the working poor.
ANON 9:54 Your response "Don't blame the city council they are only responding to the requests, etc." is absolutely correct. But, what you don't seem to realize is that their vote (and their vote only) determines whether the requests are accepted or denied. Therefore, in reality, your aldermen are making the final decision as to where your tax dollar is spent. Remember that at the next election. They, and they alone, will also decide on whether there will be an increase in your sales tax.
9:45 a.m. - A very misleading comment. I will remind you of what you already know. Who approves all expenditures? Not the Mayor and not the Department Heads. The ALDERMEN.
You can't dispute it. You can't deny it.
Stop protecting the decision-makers.
Brian - This "ill conceived plan" is being suggested as a way of providing revenue for the day to day operations of the entire city, every other fund, and the current huge debt service which are all subsidized by a single fund, the Electric Light Fund. Are you suggesting we continue on this course until the Electric Light Fund begins running at a deficit also? Then what?
What do you suggest? Don't say decrease spending because you would have to lay-off 75% of the workforce and discontinue the majority of city services to even dent the outstanding obligations we pay out on a monthly basis. I believe what the Treasurer tells me because he is a qualified and credible public servant. What can you tell us that would trump what Gary Hylla tells us?
Steve: I agree with you totally with regards to Treasurer Hylla but I have to say, based upon past decisions by our council, I am not confident that this money would be used appropriately. If I recall correctly this sales tax increase was first proposed by alderman Mertel and was earmarked to be used to fund a new pool. I also believe, as head of the finance committee, alderman Mikyska is also thinking along those same lines. As you stated above, we all know who the decision makers are!!
Until the Administration and the Council prove they are attempting fiscal restraint, I cannot support any increase in taxes. I acknowledge that budget cuts will not be enough. But until fiscal restraint is shown, the Council has no right to increase consumer prices.
I have full confidence in the Treasurer’s abilities and he is “laying it on the line” and providing sound advice. But he must deal with the numbers that are given to him. A consumer price increase makes sense. But, several measures can be made to make the consumer price increase more palatable to the people. I know some measures are being considered concerning insurance and other items, but more can be done. There are many things other towns in Illinois have done before raising taxes. Among them are:
All Department Heads should take a temporary 10% cut in pay.
All non-union employees should be furloughed for one day every ten days (one day off without pay in each two week pay period). Layoffs for union employees should be considered – unless they also agree to the furlough.
City Hall should be closed every other Friday.
Elected Officials – including the Aldermen – should return 10% of their pay to the City.
I should add... I would not expect the front line employees of the Police and Fire Departments take part in any furlough.
Personally I am opposed to the possibility of raising the city sales tax. I know city officials justify it by saying that they are aware that people will initially oppose the tax but will kind of just get used to it. Kind of the like the story of the frog gradually being put into the boiling water unaware that he is being killed. That is pretty much how it feels. Everywhere you turn prices are going up whether it is at the grocery store, the shoe store or the drugstore. We are being squeezed and now to have the city add to the pain of many people in this poor economy is not right. Yes I am totally aware that the city has huge debt to pay off but I also see a lot of money being spent foolishly.
Just recently the council voted to spend $3000 for Chamlin to draw up plans for a bike path which while a nice idea but definitely not a necessity. Before that it was $15,000 to convince the council that the Peru Pool was no longer a safe swimming area. And now they did not like Williams report and bring another company in. And don't forget the gensets some time back when they spent extra thousands of dollars on retesting them to make sure they were truly bad. Waste Waste and more Waste. This does not even include the small items seen monthly on the reports.
Perhaps, it would be a good idea to step back and reassess our thoughts and perspective on the City of Peru.
Via this blog, I would like anyone and everyone interested to give their POSITIVE vision for the City of Peru and then to propose how they would achieve this vision. This vision should not be an act of a personal vendetta but rather an "idea" vision with positive, calculated steps in which a result can be achieved.
With these positive "idea" visions, the Peru Mayor and Aldermen would then be give a strong suggestive guidance as to where they are to lead the City of Peru into the future.
Good Idea, Art, but the authors of this blog is one of being critical of the past and cannot look forward.
Sorry, but I would encourage if solid issues are discussed but unfortuantely I have watched and read nothing but negative thoughts and actions that cost the city tons of money but yet the supporters of this blog talk about nothing but "the action is OK " in their eyes.
We can list many things this admin has done so far that has cost us a lot of money because of ignorance. How do we change that ? They cannot lead for the city but look to personal power grabbers.
8:41A
Please give us your list of things that have unnecessarily cost us money?
#l. Paying 8 aldermen for 4 meetings a month but, they refuse to let go.
To Lois, you get my point. You attend many meetings of the various committee's and council meetings and yet here you are asking such a dumb question.
You know as well as I the unnecessary cost to the city if ONLY YOU CAN ADMIT THEM.
What a shame..
12:49PM
No I don't know what you mean by unnecessary, I only know what I mean by unnecessary. You know who I am and the meetings I attend, I don't know who you are and do not know what you consider unnecessary. Put your name on the post and we will have a conversation about what is necessary.
12:49 Why don't you make a list of what you consider unnecessary costs to the city and then others can respond to it?
2:12PM
I did that several postings back
Yes, I know you did Lois but I want ANON 12:49 to give his or her list. They seem to act like they know so much but give no facts or figures.
If I was the Mayor the expense statement would be ONE PAGE LONG. Period no more but possibly less after I reviewed it with a very sharp knife.
That is leadership when you can't afford it.
If you don't have it , you don't spend it.
What we need is to create an atmosphere in the city to get business to open and jobs to move to the area by encouraging companies to move in through incentives. (Like Baker did for us )
Raising sales taxes force shoppers OUT of the city of peru, that is no good.
That does not mean favoritism of any kind to any orginzation, ie unions,. They all must work for the same goal, A BETTER PERU.
A very good post, except for the "companies to move in through incentives. (Like Baker did for us)
We have no incentives to offer anyone because they always involve money which we can't spare.
8:16 p.m. - You lose all credibility after,
"If I was Mayor". Why aren't you at the meeting tonight? Are you out there "encouraging business to open and move to the area"?
That's all there is to it right? Just like that!
Steve at the meeting you were limited in presentation. Mr Baker flew several times to Japan holding meetings with the folks to encourage them to locate in Peru. Tax breaks are the incentives Lois, Just like what has been given to Shermans last year.
C'mon lets get on the band wagon and get business or companies in the community. Lets not be ignorant but let's be looking to the future . If there is the will there is the way, we must look forward and not in the rear view mirror like Steve again is indicating in 7:44am
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