Not time, place for utility tax

I recently became aware of the new utility tax that the Village of Antioch is levying against residents and businesses and am truly disappointed. This was a missed opportunity for the village board and mayor to show creativity and leadership in a challenging situation by finding an alternative to raising taxes. My concerns are outlined below.

The first concern is that taxing individuals and businesses in this economy will likely have the effect of further decreasing Antioch consumers' ability to buy things that in turn bring in more sales taxes. Increased taxes may similarly decrease Antioch businesses' ability to make ends meet, hire new or keep existing people, and even survive. My wife, a shop owner in Antioch, estimates that an additional $1,200 will need to be sold to cover the estimated $600 yearly fees, not even considering the payroll and other expenses it will take to sell the $1,200 in goods/merchandise.

My second concern is the message being sent to potential businesses trying to decide in what community to start or expand a business. Prospective entrepreneurs may wonder why they should start a business in Antioch.

The third concern is that no further village expenses could be found to cut. Can it be truly said that if Antioch citizens were to review the village budget line-by-line there would be no additional areas to cut?

My final concern is the actual rationale for the utility tax.

The village Web site states that the utility tax revenue will be used "... to increase fund reserves, fund capital projects, repay debt ..." Paying utility costs in the village is listed last. I don't seem to understand the purpose of levying a utility tax.

The Daily Herald reported that village officials indicated that cash was needed to make up for a drop in revenue, one of those sources being the "... stalled Antioch Market Place shopping center project." The concept of counting on tax money from shopping centers that do not yet exist is beyond my understanding. The story goes on to quote village officials as saying that "... the village is on target to finish the fiscal year nearly $500,000 in the red." The same story quotes Village officials saying that the "... the taxes would raise at least $1 million annually." This difference in numbers makes a person wonder how much over-taxation is occurring.

From the exit strategy described on the village Web site, it appears that the taxes will be around for some time. In addition, the village Web site also indicates that water and sewer rates are being reviewed and may be raised "... if a study shows that the rates are not sufficient to support enterprise activities." When does this all end?

While staying focused on keeping the job that I have and the two small businesses that my wife has, we look up and see, of all things, a new tax. Up until this point, I had confidence that our local elected officials would represent us in their challenging duties. This confidence has been severely shaken by the recent events. Am I really expecting too much of our elected leaders to find alternatives to raising taxes? This is not the time or place.

Dan Michel

Antioch