Cook Sales Tax Brings State Legislature Action

There are two bills that would help the majority of the members of the Cook County Board roll back President Todd Stroger’s (D) sales-tax increase currently waiting approval in the Illinois House after winning committee support on October 7.

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The problem is that the rule for overturning a veto by the board president is a four-fifths majority requirement put in place in the 1870s to prevent board members that resided in the City of Chicago from dominating over the suburban members. As the interests of city Democrats have coincided more often with those of suburban Democrats, however, this requirement has recently placed more power in the board president’s hands. The bills now about to hit the floor in the Illinois House would change the four-fifths requirement immediately. This, says Stroger spokesman Derek Blaida, is likely unconstitutional. Blaida argued that changing the rules in the middle of President Stroger’s term was improper. This Summer an attempt by the County Board to overturn Stroger’s veto of their sales-tax roll back did not succeed even with 13 out of 17 of the commissioners backing the effort.

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