Citizens speak out on referendum to raise property tax
Champaign resident Conrad Wetzelww addresses the Champaign City Council on Tuesday evening. Wetzel spoke in support of a referendum which will appear on the ballot in the upcoming election. Trevor Greene
October 22, 2008
At Tuesday night’s Champaign City Council meeting, citizens expressed their opinions regarding the referendum to raise property taxes in order to provide funding for township assistance in regards to the impoverished citizens in the community.
The referendum will be on the ballot for the election on Nov. 4.
“The city of Champaign only allows $10.49 to be contributed to the funds for general assistance of those in poverty,” said Randall Cotton, advocate for the passage of the referendum. “This is simply embarrassing, compared to the amount that surrounding communities have.”
The communities of Bloomington, Urbana, Peoria, and Springfield all give almost twice as much to their general assistance fund compared to Champaign, he said.
General assistance is a state-mandated financial aid program run by Illinois townships. It gives basic financial assistance to those who are in poverty and don’t qualify for other state or federal aid.
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“There needs to be something done about this. It is our duty, as citizens of Champaign, to give to those who are in desperate economic situations,” said Champaign resident Charlotte Green. “There needs to be a safety net for these people.”
If passed, the referendum will raise property tax about $10 per year for every $150,000 of a property’s market value.
Many of the referendum supporters in attendance were disappointed that many of the council officials hadn’t spoken out about the matter.
“I support the referendum,” said At-Large Council member Tom Bruno. “However, I am disappointed that you all think that we are just showing our faces at these supportive events and not really caring about the issue.”
In 2006, a referendum was passed by the city of Champaign to place a 5 cent increase for a $100 assessment value on property tax to go towards the general assistance fund. Since 2006, the amount has dropped to 3.5 cents. This information was taken from the US Census data.
“I urge that this referendum be supported,” said Dist. 2 Council member Michael La Due. “Our country is in an economic downturn and the people who live on the margin will fall the hardest. It is up to us, the members of this township, to do all that we can in order to help out those in our community living in desperate situations.”
