Jun 16, 2008 11:12 pm US/Central
Upset Palatine Residents Grill Stroger On Tax Hike
Some Suburban Residents Want To Secede From Cook County
PALATINE, Ill. (CBS) ―
-
-
Palatine residents finally had an opportunity to discuss the Cook County sales tax hike with Board President Todd Stroger.
CBS
The political fireworks were flying in Palatine Monday night. Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, after canceling an appearance in the suburb in April, kept his promise to CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery and met with Palatine residents upset over the recent county sales tax hike.
Stroger did not get a warm welcome. There was a lot anger focused on Stroger and the County Board's decision to raise sales taxes by 1 percent, giving Chicago the highest sales tax rate in America.
Jeff Milstein fears Cook County's latest sales tax increase will drive customers away from his jewelry store in Schaumburg.
"This is the first time I've considered leaving Cook County," Milstein animatedly told Stroger Monday night.
Bob Naughtrip said he would be among the crowd looking for some answers. He built a brand new store on Northwest Highway just last year. But now, Naughtrip, the owner of Soccer Plus, wonders why he didn't build it a minute or two farther north, in Lake County, where the sales tax will be a full 3 percent lower next month when a Cook County increase takes effect.
"The 3 percent difference starting July 1 between Lake County and Cook County could make the difference as to if someone ventures this much further south to come buy products from us," Naughtrip said.
Naughtrip said, "We really don't understand why we will pay 10 percent when other areas in the state of Illinois are paying significantly less."
Rather than move their businesses and homes as Milstein suggested, others told Stroger they want a big chunk of the northwest suburbs to secede from Cook County and form a new Lincoln County, citing reasons as old as the American colonists' grievances against England 232 years ago.
"No taxation without representation," said Nancy Golemba. "I don't feel Cook County represents me. It represents Chicago."
Stroger responded, "The feeling about Chicago is not true, or it may be the feeling's there, but it's not the reality."
Though the session was billed as a chance for typical residents to question the county's chief executive, local elected officials actually grabbed more microphone time than did typical residents.
"If you guys are not going to listen to us, then we do need to figure out a way to secede from Cook County and start our own stuff," said Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins.
Stroger said, "You can't look at yourself as just Palatine and the rest of the world is invisible. We're all in this together."
Mayor Mullins and members of the Village Board cut short their own meeting Monday night so they could attend the meeting with Stroger.
There was polite applause at the end of the evening, but one legislator estimated that Palatine and the surrounding communities send about $7 to the County Building for about every $2 in county services they get back.
It's bad enough, said State Sen. Matt Murphy, but it's about to be compounded now a loss to retailers in neighboring counties.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jewish Celebrities
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
