Tax increase needed to protect Prospect Heights police service

As abhorrent as the thought of a tax increase is in the current depressed economy, we urge "yes" votes on the two-part proposal for a police protection tax in Prospect Heights.

The fact is that the city currently provides minimal public services for a town of 17,100 residents. If the proposal fails to pass April 7, additional significant cuts in services that have already been reduced will need to be made.

The two-part proposal asks first that the property tax cap be waived for the 2009 levy to allow a 585 percent increase of 0.237 percent of equalized assessed value, and second that the increase be used to fund a police protection tax.

With the new tax, the estimated property tax on a home valued at $300,000 would rise by $324 a year.

Both candidates for mayor are backing the increase, which city officials say will be used to balance the budget and enable the city to maintain services, not increase them.

The tax would provide the city with $1.25 million in additional annual revenue. The police department currently operates on a roughly $4.5 million budget with approximately 25 officers on the force.