The Peoria City Council will vote on property and motor fuel tax hikes Thursday night, among other increases. It's part of a plan to put more than $5 million in new revenue for roads:
If every proposed increase is approved, that would more than double the amount of money the city has been spending annually on road maintenance. The discussion to focus on property taxes included other potential revenue streams, like revisiting a motor vehicle license to raise more money for roads. City Councilman Chuck Grayeb says he wanted to see some type of spending plan support to pay for road repair, and that discussion on the topic was coming to a close:
“I’ve read Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I don’t want to relive it with this council tonight. We either are going to do what we should do, or we’re going to stop talking about rebuilding infrastructure.”
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis says proposing to raise property taxes is a weighty decision:
“I’m not itching, or excited about doing this, but I do know that the council has been talking about roads all year, and the need to fund them.”
The Council is also considering a two-percent hotel tax increase to use for roads, but that will take more time to approve. That’s because any hotel tax changes need to include talks with the Peoria Civic Center. The proposed property tax hikes would mean the owner of a $100,000 home would spend an additional $48 a year for road maintenance. The Council will take up the proposed tax hikes Thursday.