2/25/2008

No deals, no tax hikes during today's Cook County Board Meeting

From the Daily Herald:

Cook County board members adjourned temporarily Monday with no votes on taxes and no budget compromise in sight.

The 17 members will reconvene Wednesday.

In the meantime, President Todd Stroger's office will try to reach some consensus with Commissioner Roberto Maldonado, a Chicago Democrat.

Maldonado is the ninth vote Stroger needs to pass a sales tax.

Maldonado refused to vote for Stroger's 2-point increase in the sales tax because he said it was too regressive and would negatively affect senior citizens in his district. Instead, he put together an alternative package of five taxes, including a tax on jet fuel, heavy SUVs and alcohol served in bars.

But Monday afternoon, shortly before the board met, Maldonado told the Daily Herald he could support a quarter-point increase in the sales tax if Stroger would gather the votes to pass his five taxes.

Apparently, however, the two sides could not reach a deal Monday and the board recessed until Wednesday to try to work one out.

The administration says the budget deficit is $280 million and Maldonado's tax increases would raise $142 million in new revenues. It's not clear how much a quarter-point increase would raise.

Looks like your pocket book is safe for another day.

Considering the difficulty that Stroger is having packaging votes for this tax hike, one would think the task would be no easier to try to put the votes together for Maldonado's 5 tax hikes. All signs seem to point to more gridlock on the County Board.

---

Filed Under: Cook County Politics

E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format

Related Headlines
	Todd Stroger not afraid... to go back on his word - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008
	Too broke to hire HR, plenty to hike his counsin's salary - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 09, 2008
	Tax Day cometh early in Chicago... - TUESDAY, APRIL 01, 2008
	Peraica: Throw baby out with bath water? - THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008
	BREAKING NEWS: Cook County Board reaches budget deal, raises sales tax - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2008
	Stroger, Devine & Dart file suit to keep Cook Co. Gov open - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2008
	Stroger to County Board: You fix it - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2008
	Cook County Board looking at budget cuts? Pinch me... - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008
	No deals, no tax hikes during today's Cook County Board Meeting - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008
	Peraica wastes no time - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 06, 2008