|
DeKalb County, Illinois |
Minutes of the
|
|
The Administrative Services Committee of the DeKalb County Board met Wednesday, December 3, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. at the DeKalb County Government Administration Building’s Conference Room East. Chairperson Leifheit called the meeting to order. Mr. Pritchard, Mr. Sands, Mr. Steimel, Ms. Tobias, Mr. Van Buer, Mr. Wiegand and Mr. Wilson were present. Mr. Faivre was absent. Also present was Ms. Joan Berkes-Hanson, Mr. Ray Bockman, Mr. Ken Campbell, Mr. Gary Hanson, Ms. Christine Johnson, Mr. Greg Millburg, and Mr. Stephen Slack.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Steimel moved, seconded by Mr. Wilson to accept the minutes of November 5 and November 19, 2003. Motion carried unanimously by a voice vote. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Sands moved, seconded by Ms. Tobias to approve the agenda with the removal of Item #4.) Ad Hoc Committee Report on Exempt Employee Bonus Program item. Chairman Faivre was absent hence the report will be moved to next month’s agenda. Motion carried unanimously by a voice vote.
PROPOSAL FROM LT. GOVERNOR FOR EDUCATION & PROPERTY TAX FUNDING REFORMS Deputy County Administrator, Gary Hanson had previously mailed a packet of information including a letter and resolution from Lt. Governor Pat Quinn (which will be placed on file along with these minutes in the Finance Office) to the committee. County Administrator Ray Bockman, summarized the information by saying Mr. Quinn wanted the County to ask the voters to increase income taxpayers of over $250,000 from 3% to 6% affecting 214 individuals and would bring in $4 million. He explained that Mr. Quinn wanted the County’s support of a resolution to place the Taxpayer Action Amendment for Education and Permanent Property Tax Relief on the local ballot as an advisory referendum at the March 16, 2004 primary election. Mr. Hanson alerted the committee that the ballot already had a county-sponsored referendum on the ballot (the Jail Referendum). Chairman Leifheit opened the floor to the committee for discussion. Mr. Steimel said he was in support of shifting funding of education from property tax to income tax. Mr. Van Buer said that it may take some pressure off of property owners. Mr. Pritchard stated that no one wants to lose money and someone is going to lose. Mr. Van Buer stated that the state is not paying enough even at the state mandate of paying 51%. Mr. Wiegand stated income tax funding is not fair unless it is a flat tax. Mr. Van Buer asked the question, "How do you raise revenues to make sure that society pays for the things they decided they want?" He declared that the public should be able to vote on this information. Ms. Tobias also stated that information needs to be looked at by the taxpayers. Many thought it wasn’t fair to penalize the 214 individuals with tax returns over $250,000. Others felt a need to send a message to Springfield that something needs to change. Chairman Leifheit indicated that she felt it was not really taxpayer relief because of the amount of money given back but if this proposal sparks debate she admitted it had merit. Mr. Bockman asked, "What does this program accomplish?" He felt that the item did not merit a countywide vote. Many thought the result would have no effect on the county. Mr. Sands commented that it didn’t seem right that the majority of taxpayers could vote against the smaller percentage. He said he didn’t have answer but the topic needed to be addressed and soon. Most thought the best thing to do would be to send it to the Public Policy Committee where it could be added as a Legislative Agenda Item.
Moved by Mr. Van Buer seconded by Ms. Tobias to recommend the approval of the "Model Resolution for the Taxpayer Action Amendment Advisory Referendum" to be sent to the full County Board. The motion was defeated by a roll call vote with five no votes and Ms. Tobias and Mr. Van Buer voting yes. Moved by Mr. Sands, seconded by Mr. Wiegand to recommend that Education and Property Tax Reform should be added as a Legislative Agenda Item to the Public Policy Committee for consideration. Motion carried unanimously by a voice vote.
ADJOURNMENT Mr. Wiegand moved, seconded by Mr. Pritchard to adjourn at 7:40 p.m. Motion carried unanimously by a voice vote.
Respectfully submitted,
__________________________
__________________________ |
| Home | Return
to top | A-Z Index | Return
to minutes |