The Pekin City Council is considering raising its sales tax by half-a-percent starting next year. The move aims to boost funding for roads and economic development:
The proposed sales tax hike would raise Pekin's total rate to 10.5-percent including base and food and beverage rates. That would generate an estimated $1.6 million each year in dedicated revenue, with $800,000 each going towards infrastructure and economic development projects, respectively.
Several residents spoke out against the proposed increase, saying the city's both those areas show lackluster results at current funding levels. City Councilman Mark Luft says the council needs to hold public input meetings before deciding whether to raise the rate:
“Because there’s a lot more taxpayers out there that do give input than just the people sitting in this room. And I’m interested in what they have to say and how they look at this.”
Some Councilmembers against tabling the issue say enough information was already provided about the proposal. The Council voted to table the vote on the sales tax increase until September 28th and hold multiple meetings to further flesh out the issue.