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Bateman first made this point:
it is a requested increase of only one-half (1/2) of one penny on
the dollar. Some people have misunderstood and thought it is 50
cents on the dollar.
This sales tax increase will not
be charged on food or medicine, just consumables. A sales tax
increase was chosen over a property tax increase because it brings
all citizens, even those coming off the interstate, into the game,
not just property owners.
This increase can only be used
for public safety projects. There is currently a half-penny sales
tax which has been in effect for many years for public safety. This
referendum is just increasing it to the total legal limit of one
penny on the dollar spent.
The money raised through this
tax referendum will be used for repairs to the Logan County
courthouse and expansion of the county jail in the safety complex.
The county will issue bonds for these two projects and the income
from the sales tax increase will make the payments on the bonds.
The preliminary figure for the
courthouse roof repair is estimated at $3.5M. The county jail
expansion is estimated at $5-7M. The total cost of the two projects
is estimated at $10M.
The Logan County jail is already
at maximum capacity, and with Illinois state mandates to reduce
prison populations, every Illinois county is now needing to increase
the size of their jail facilities.
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top of second column] |
Repairs to the Logan County
Courthouse are classified as a public safety project, since the
repairs to the roof are being done to prevent injuries to people in
the courthouse, which was built in 1905. The courthouse originally
had copper sheeting covering the dome. In 1973, a company was hired
to put a roof coating on the dome and painted over the copper
sheeting. They also sprayed on fire resistant shot-crete (a layer
of concrete) and that is what is breaking away. This treatment came
with a 20-year warranty, which was up long ago. The copper needs to
be replaced, and the original shot-crete removed and replaced.
Structural engineers say the dome’s steel structure is good. The
new copper skin will be good for another 75 years.
The problems with the courthouse
are not due to a lack of maintenance. This repair is in fact
considered normal maintenance. “Everything has a life expectancy,
and this is well past its life expectancy,” Bateman said.
The Logan County Courthouse
is an historic building, on both the national and state preservation
list. The stained-glass dome is one of the tallest in the nation,
and is currently safely stored away.
This sales tax increase is
expected to raise $900,000 per year, and the new sales tax level
bring us even with sales tax rates in Springfield and Bloomington.
Bateman remarked that he is hopeful that Logan County is
experiencing an economic uptick in 2018.
[Jim Youngquist] |
