tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971458388110219307.post8779925162704209434..comments2023-07-30T02:57:21.796-05:00Comments on Ken's Blog: Cook County's obscene and disgusting tax rateUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971458388110219307.post-73299937873208629892008-11-13T17:27:00.000-06:002008-11-13T17:27:00.000-06:00Funny you bring up the proposals in the Trib.NONE ...Funny you bring up the proposals in the Trib.<BR/><BR/>NONE of those proposals were ever offered by any commissioner for a vote. <BR/><BR/>There is no "extra" tax revenue--because the tax was passed in February, the earliest it could be collected was July. The earliest the County would receive tax revenue was October. The County's fiscal year ends in November.<BR/><BR/>So... Read More for 2008 there are only two months of increased revenue. The rest of the budget was balanced by cuts (never heard that in the Trib, though).<BR/><BR/>Where are the "extra workers" coming from? The majority of the workers we are hiring are either court-mandated for the jail or the JTDC, and for the County Health System. In fact, the new governing board for the hospital--not the President--is proposing 400 MORE workers in the 2009 budget. <BR/><BR/>If Stroger is larding the payroll with last year's hires, what to do now that the independent health experts say the health system is still 400 positions short of fully functioning? <BR/><BR/>Maybe he actually was responding to the needs of the system? No! Impossible! It's Todd Stroger! <BR/><BR/>BTW, that budget just passed the County Board 16-1.<BR/><BR/>The increase in the entertainment tax was in the 2006 budget. Not under Todd Stroger.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and Hamilton County, OH? Cincinnati residents pay city income tax. In addition to a sales tax. <BR/><BR/>The bottom line is--so long as residents indicated they want these services, there has to be the revenue to pay for them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466968188797090767noreply@blogger.com