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Aldermen Delay Vote on Tax Hike

Macomb, IL – Macomb aldermen will wait a little longer before deciding whether to increase the city's telecommunications tax. Mayor Mick Wisslead asked for the delay because he wants the entire city council to tackle the issue. Aldermen John Maguire and Tim Lobdell were absent from Tuesday night's meeting. If the tax is increased, the city would need to file a resolution with the state by March 20. The city is considering the tax hike as a way of generating more revenue. Right now, the 2% tax brings in $155,000 per year. City Administrator Mike Hays says a 4% tax would generate $310,000 per year and a 6% tax would give the city $465,000 per year. However, the city would not start seeing the money from an increase until August, which is several months into the budget year. Hays says a tax of 4% would generate an extra $116,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year and a tax of 6% would generate an extra $232,000.