Story posted Thursday, March 4, 2010
Councilmen Look Forward To New County Board Boss
By RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor
Whoever becomes the next Cook County board president in November, Palatine councilmen Jack Wagner and Scott Lamerand say they intend to reach out to that person to further discuss repealing the 1% sales tax increase implemented in 2008 and the possibility of seceding from the county.
"I never said we should secede from the county when the tax came," said Wagner.
Wagner explained it was former Palatine Mayor Wendell Jones who said years ago that some day the Northwest suburbs are going to become too big for the county to take care of.
"Services the county provided us 25 years ago we now provide for ourselves much like police in addition to county roads," said Wagner. "We maintain most of the county roads now and we have our own health service organization the county used to provide."
Wagner went on to say that when outgoing Cook County Board President Todd Stroger told him recently that the county is providing a lot of those services and is spending more on the Northwest suburbs, his response was to let those communities form their own county.
"It would be a win/win because we would take over all those services, reduce Cook County's costs and actually help the county because we wouldn't be a burden on them taking care of a grown child," said Wagner.
Wagner said he doesn't have anything against Stroger on a personal level but when it comes to business, someone else needs to do the job.
"I would like to follow up with the new president when that person gets acclimated in their position and meet so they can help facilitate discussions with other county board members and some of us in municipal government in the Northwest suburbs," said Wagner. "This may not happen however, in my lifetime or ever."
"I think it will happen," Lamerand said. "We just need to sit back and do everything we can to work with the new regime."
Wagner suggested once November's election is over, a private fund be created to be used to hire an expert to determine if seceding is a feasible and reasonable way to go in the future.
"Private funding is a great idea but raising it will be tough, especially with the current state of the economy," said Lamerand. The county's 10% sales tax, highest in the nation, has affected goods such as fast food, restaurant meals, alcohol purchase, clothes shopping, and furniture. It has not affected land, property, homes, automobiles, or recreational vehicles.
In November, Democrat Toni Preckwinkle will face Republican Roger Keats in the general election.
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