Story posted Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Voters Reject 911 Referendum Again; Property Tax Hike Next?
Wheeling voters again rejected an increased surcharge on their home telephones to pay for the village's 911 fund, an action that will likely lead to a property tax increase instead.
"I'm disappointed," said Village President Judy Abruscato on Wednesday morning. "You buy a Coke for 70 cents and people spend six or seven dollars on a package of cigarettes."
The referendum asked voters if they favored an increase from 75 cents per line per month to $1.45 per line per month. That surcharge is levied against hardwired, or landline, telephones. Cellular telephones customers already pay a 58-cent monthly surcharge.
The referendum was defeated by a vote of 1,561 to 1,400. The margin was closer than the same referendum in November 2008 when it was defeated by a vote of 6,098 to 4,085.
Abruscato said in two years, the 911 service would need to be financed through the general fund, adding about $400,000 to that budget. "When we have to go to the general fund, the taxes will go much higher," she warned. The shortfall will likely be offset by a property tax increase.
"The service will always be there," Abruscato said, assuring the public that 911 calls would continue to go through. The surcharges on the two types of telephones fund the 911 services for the village including salaries and benefits of the dispatchers and all the equipment required for the system.
The state of Illinois sets the surcharge on cellular telephone lines while voters must approve landline surcharges through referendums.
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