Dec 1, 2009 6:00 pm US/Central
County Board Overrides Tax Rollback Veto
Commissioners Vote 12-5 To Keep Rollback
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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The Cook County Board, April 2009
CBS
A group of Cook County commissioners have overridden a veto of their 0.5 percent rollback of the county sales tax. In Chicago, the tax rate is currently 10.25 percent. You'll save a half a penny on every dollar spent, bringing the new rate down to 9.75 percent.
The commissioners voted 12-5 to override the veto by County Board President Todd Stroger. Commissioners Earlean Collins (D-1st) and Robert Steele (D-2nd) were considered swing votes, but ended up voting with the majority.
Last week, Stroger vetoed the third attempt to roll back the deeply unpopular 1 percent sales tax hike, which was enacted as part of the 2008 county budget.
But because of a change in state law, Stroger's opponents needed only 11 votes to override his veto and repeal the sales tax. They previously needed 13.
Commissioner Tony Peraica (R-16th) said it was the first time the board has overriden a presidential veto.
Stroger had insisted the added revenue was necessary to keep vital county services running. But opponents had complained that the 2008 tax hike pushed the sales tax in Chicago to the highest level in the country. Northwest suburban Palatine even threatened to join Lake County over the tax hike.
CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports that while this battle's done, the war goes on. The tax cut means the county budget must be cut. The next fight is over how cuts will be made.
Todd Stroger's opponents are already sounding the alarm, predicting he'll target high-profile, vital services.
"Now, we can all do what other governments do, and cut out all our vital services to prove a point. Because that's what the state government does," said Cook County Comr. Timothy Schneider. "And then the taxpayers go, 'Oh, my god. What am I gonna do?' The fact is, if we put our heads together, we can become more efficient. We can streamline county government."
Stroger said the tax cut will force big reductions in health care for the poor and other services. Stroger said today's veto override resulted from a lynch-mob mentality that he blamed on journalists.
"This is just a piling on, what happens when the mob mentality happens," Stroger said. "I'm certain you're all smart and you saw The Ox-Bow Incident. It's the same thing. Just get enough people riled up and they'll hang the first person they see."
It was a day of defiance and dejection for Stroger. Two key African American commissioners: the West Side's Earlean Collins and the Near South Side's Robert Steele voted against him, despite his race-based lobbying.
One Stroger ally said, "Todd is the lamest lame duck ever."
The reduction in the sales tax takes July 1, 2010, but it's safe to say we will see many more battles before this is over.
Stroger's administration has reportedly hinted that it might challenge the new state law in court. If that happens, it would stall the implementation of the rollback at the very least.
CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery contributed to this report.
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