Trenches of Democracy

(Tribune photo / Terry Harris)

The Village Council of Palatine expressed local citizen outrage regarding Cook Counties latest sales-tax increase. The Chicago Tribune reports:

After calling on Cook County Board President Todd Stroger to personally “explain himself” for pushing through a sales tax increase, some angry Palatine Village Council members said they had an even better idea — secede from the county.

Talk of tax revolt was in the air this week as officials, business owners and taxpayers throughout the region voiced outrage. But perhaps nowhere was the outrage more visible than in communities that share a border with lower-tax counties…

Lincoln County?

Frustrations have boiled over into a open discussion about seceding from Cook County.

Several northwest suburban leaders proposed creating a new entity — Lincoln County — in the 1970s, and Palatine Councilman Jack Wagner said it was time to explore that again. “This is getting out of hand,” Wagner said. “We can’t afford it.”

Budgets strained by the recent economic slowdown will be further hurt by the increase, which could cut into sales, some suburban officials said.

“It makes it very difficult for us to generate the revenue we have in the past,” said Schaumburg Village Manager Ken Fritz.Although more recent efforts toward secession have focused on southwest suburbs, for years the movement was pushed by Wendell Jones, former Palatine mayor and state senator. His successor in the statehouse, Republican Sen. Matt Murphy, recently proposed a bill that would make it easier for Illinois townships to vote to split off from counties. (read more…)

However unlikely this action is, it’s clear Cook County government is a bloated burden to all within it’s borders.

Tags: Cook County, Lincoln County, No Cook County Taxes, Palatine, secede

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