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Carpentersville trustee hopefuls differ on when, how to cut sales tax

Six people seeking three Carpentersville trustee seats agree the village's 9 percent sales tax is high, but disagree on how and when to reduce it.

Incumbents Don Burroway and Paul Humpfer are seeking another 4-year term while challengers Humberto Garcia, Sara Miller, Jeffrey Sabbe and Christopher Scholl hope to earn a first term in April.

In January 2017, the village's sales tax rate will drop .5 percent.

Village officials decided to build in the .5 percent sunset clause in the sales tax in part because the new Wal-Mart is expected to be completed by December 2016.

A person pays $9 sales tax on a $100 purchase and will pay $8.50 tax on the same purchase after January 2017.

Garcia noted a person buying a $10,000 car would end up paying $50 more in sales tax to the village until then.

"It doesn't sound like a lot, but it is," Garcia said. "To me, that is not helping to bring customers to Carpentersville. We need to bring in retail businesses."

Burroway and Sabbe said they would allow .5 percent of the sales tax to sunset, or expire, two years from now.

"I don't see the need to not let it sunset," Burroway said. "(But) I don't have a crystal ball."

Added Sabbe: "I'm definitely not for raising taxes, that's for sure."

Humpfer said he would be open to cutting the .5 percent sooner if another major retailer wanted to come to town and thought the sales tax was a "concern."

"We need more economic development," he said. "We've got to be flexible, especially considering our neighbors. There's a lot of competition for economic development."

Scholl said the sales tax is deterring new businesses to come to town and the village needs to sunset the .5 percent sooner than later.

He pushed for a "robust marketing plan" to spur business development.

"Community development is not developing our community," he said. "We need to decrease our sales tax as soon as possible because we need to entice businesses to come in."

Miller also shared the same view that the sales tax was too high. She was undecided on whether she would try to enact the .5 percent sunset before January 2017.

"It would depend on what type of business was coming in," she said. "It would depend on the numbers, It's always a possibility."

The election is April 7 and early voting begins on March 23.

Visit kanecountyelections.org. for more information and polling places.

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