Kane County Board delays vote on sales tax referendum
The Kane County Board on Tuesday delayed deciding whether to ask voters to institute a countywide sales tax.
County board Chair Corinne Pierog asked to remove a resolution calling for a November referendum from the agenda. She also requested that the board have a special meeting to discuss it.
But board member Chris Kious said the resolution should be sent to the finance committee for discussion first. While the committee previously discussed the idea of instituting a sales tax, Kious said the panel never considered a formal resolution. The board agreed unanimously.
The proposed resolution called for a 1% sales tax on general merchandise. The money would be designated for unspecified “public safety purposes.”
The sales tax would apply to general merchandise, except for titled property such as vehicles.
The finance committee will consider it on April 24.
In 2022, the board considered asking for a .5% sales tax. Officials said it would have raised $10.3 million in its first year.
At that time, the board said much of the money would have gone to the sheriff’s office and the court system to help pay for increased expenses and losses of revenue due to the implementation of the state SAFE-T Act.