City Council Passes Utility Tax

Galesburg City Council Spring 2015Effective January 1st, a city-wide utility tax will go into effect within the City of Galesburg.

That was the decision made last night by city council members, who voted 4-2 in favor of both the increase on gas and electric.

The tax will equal to five percent on gas, and electric will be taxed on a tiered scale. City Manager Todd Thompson says he estimates an amount between four and six percent.

Following the approval, Mayor John Pritchard voiced his support of the passing. Pritchard says it will help the city in the long run.

“No one likes to pay anymore taxes than they have to, but I think we–as in survey’s done by the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations–have realized that we have to,” says Pritchard. “We know from our budget process that we have fallen behind on basic maintenance and we need to attempt to catch that up, and this tax allows us to do it. The dollar we spend today will prevent us from having to spend ten dollars down the road.”

The two “no” votes came from aldermen Angela Bastian and Russell Flemming. Flemming commented that the five percent on gas seemed like a substantial increase to tax payers, while Bastian felt the public was not well enough informed, and that the council was rushing the decision.

Now that the tax is in place, it will begin to chip away at dire infrastructure needs in the city. Currently, Galesburg has an estimated $2.45 Million in deferred maintenance. The tax is expected to raise $2.35 Million in revenue.

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