DuPage employees rally for a tax hike

Momentum is growing for asking voters Feb. 5 to approve a sales tax-increase to ease DuPage County's budget crisis.

That momentum received a push Tuesday by more than 150 people, mostly county employees, who rallied outside the DuPage government center Tuesday to encourage elected officials to put the question on the ballot.

But several county leaders cautioned that a "Plan B" is still needed to avert massive layoffs in case the request flops.

"My grave concern is what happens the morning after should this referendum fail," board member Linda Kurzawa said.

As a result, pressure will be on board members to either adopt an alternative source of revenue, such as a vehicle sticker tax, or to come up with another plan to avert the so-called doomsday budget.

The budget calls for layoffs of 235 employees, mostly in law enforcement, to address a revenue shortfall. If voters approve a quarter-cent sales tax boost, from 6.75 to 7 cents, it would generate more than $40 million a year to be used for public safety.

"We're not here to rally to protect ourselves, but to protect the people we serve," State's Attorney Joseph Birkett told a crowd of workers. "The challenge is on our county board to adequately fund our justice system. Public safety and the quality of life in this county depend on their actions."

Many people at the rally included sheriff's police, workers with the state's attorney's and circuit clerk's offices and probation officers.

"I'm out here because I'm disappointed in the county board for letting this lag on," circuit clerk's office employee Tom Grimston said.

The county board is expected to hold a special meeting Thursday to talk over the budget and possibly vote on the referendum.

Another alternative is establishing a $50 vehicle sticker fee, which could generate about $25 million. Officials last week discussed the idea of instituting the vehicle sticker fee as a stopgap measure and eliminating it -- if the sales tax hike passes.

But the fee is proving to be a hot potato.

"Certainly a lot of people are in favor of putting the public safety tax on the ballot. Not as many are in favor of a vehicle sticker tax," county board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom said.

At $376 million, the 2008 budget is $52 million less than this year's. The corporate fund, which includes salaries for most employees, is set at $132 million, a $9.5 million decrease from 2007.

The board must adopt a budget by Nov. 30.

"If the board doesn't pass a budget, government will stop," Schillerstrom said.

The problem facing officials will be how to account for a referendum request that may or may not succeed.

"You can't budget money you don't have," Schillerstrom said. "If they don't pass the vehicle sticker tax, there's no other revenue. You can't presume the referendum will pass."

The county's finance chairman, Pat O'Shea, is among those finding a vehicle sticker unpalatable.

"I will vote for the referendum for sure but I'm not ready to vote for the vehicle sticker at this time," O'Shea said.

Board member Jim Zay backs the referendum plan but has qualms about charging people $50 a car.

"It's not like when I was growing up and families had one car," Zay said.

Schillerstrom has said for a public safety sales tax hike to pass, the board will need allies such as Birkett and Sheriff John Zaruba to throw their support behind it.

Birkett said he is up for the challenge and told workers, "It's up to all of us to ask voters to do the right thing."

But the state's attorney couldn't resist a brief critique of the county board's previous practice of reducing property taxes "despite a looming revenue crisis."

Schillerstrom countered that "it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback."

"At the time those decisions were made, there was more money than was needed to operate the county government."

Earlier at the county board's regular Tuesday meeting, numerous speakers appealed to officials to avoid layoffs and budget cuts.

Esther Bahema, a former youth home inmate who has turned her life around, said county counselors and probation officers can't be valued enough.

"They really do care," she said. "They don't judge you because you're locked up."

Wheaton College professor Gary Burge recalled how his daughter, Grace, had a troubled youth and spent months in the youth home.

"She would tell you that the probation department changed her life," Burge said. "They taught her what 'normal' is."

Veronica Porter, president of the DuPage County Historical Museum Association, said the threatened closure of the museum because of the money crunch would be detrimental to a building named one of the 150 most beautiful in Illinois.

"Once it's gone, it's gone," she said.