Marshall County's Proposed Sales Tax To Help Schools
By: Alexandra Sutter WMBD/WYZZ
Updated: November 5, 2012
MARSHALL COUNTY -- Marshall County residents have a choice to make on tomorrow's ballot that will affect the way its schools are funded.
The county is looking for help for its schools through a sales tax.
County Board Member Travis McGlasson chairs the political committee Friends of Marshall County. The committee supports this tax.
McGlasson said, "We've been pushed into this situation by the state really. The state of Illinois has continued to take more and more money out of our pockets in taxes each year and made promises to give that money back to us in various forms of school funding and they're just not doing it anymore."
McGlasson said the schools are required to keep up with the state's mandates and keep their buildings up to code.
McGlasson said the buildings will need about 5 million dollars in upgrades by 2015.
The tax would be one cent on every dollar spent. It would help pay for building upgrades, without raising property taxes. It cannot be used for teachers' salaries or operating expenses.
The tax would be on stores and restaurants, and would exclude agricultural purchases and groceries.
But even so, local voters aren't sold.
John Robbins said, "I think we're taxed to death already and why add more on, the lower class people is having a hard time now making it."
Scott Wehr said, "Probably when I get to the voting station, I'll probably decide then and I'll probably think it over tonight."
Brady Wehr said, "I have two kids in school and Henry's a good school district and I think they work really hard to try and keep the money and the costs down and still provide a good education and I don't think a 100th of a dollar to my taxes either way."
McGlasson understands voters have financial concerns, but he says he hopes they'll choose to put Marshall County's kids first. "Our students are definitely worth that extra cent per dollar so we have to take that responsibility now at the local level because the state is really failing us at the state level."
If the tax passes, McGlasson expects it to bring in about $500,000 per year.
