Tamaroa Sales Tax Would Generate $18,000 for Police Department

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ A Tamaroa Village Board special meeting one half hour before the regular board meeting Wednesday was designed to let citizens ask questions regarding a Nov. 4 referendum that would allow the village to raise the local sales tax by a half-cent to help fund police protection.

The tax would raise about $18,000 a year. Unfortunately, not as many people showed up as the board expected.

There were still a few questions to be asked, however. Restaurant owner Tina Kuberski was worried that the raised 0.5% sales tax would have a strong adverse effect on her customers and that the higher tax would keep future businesses away from Tamaroa.

Mayor William Place understood her concerns and answered, "The people of Tamaroa don't want to pay higher taxes. But the people have also expressed that they want a police department. As the city board it is our job to find ways to fund those things. This is one of those ways."

Mayor Place also showed his confidence in the sales tax being the right choice, "By imposing this non-home rule sales tax, instead of taxing some other utility or resource, the burden of this tax can be shared among travelers as well, instead of weighing solely on the citizens of Tamaroa."

"The non-home rule sales tax puts the power of the tax in the hands of people you see everyday around town, rather than the people in the capital, who are mostly from Chicago anyway."

Another forum concerning the Tamaroa non-home rule sales tax will be held before election day at 6:30 on October 29.