Would it be a County Board meeting if commissioners didn't discuss the sales tax?
For the third time since the board voted to repeal half of the penny-on-the-dollar tax hike in December, commissioners will today debate cutting the remaining tax. Previous attempts by Commissioner Tony Peraica have failed.
This time, Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno, defeated by Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in the primary, is leading the charge. It's a change of heart for Moreno, who consistently supported the tax hike in the past.
"I was convinced that it was the only way to ensure the appropriate funding for the newly formed Health and Hospitals System," he said in a statement. "I wanted to make sure that it would succeed and continue offering the health services that the residents of this County desperately need."
But now, having seen how angry voters were in the primary, Moreno says he wants to appease them.
"I did not support (the rollback) because I truly believed it was too fast and could cripple the Health and Hospitals System," Moreno said. "After the election of February 2, 2010, when the voters spoke strongly about this sales tax, I feel a strong obligation to see that their wishes be honored."
The Moreno measure would reduce the remaining half percent gradually, and would eliminate it by July 1, 2011. Peraica's amendment would have cut the tax by July 1, 2010.
Commissioners say they believe that the rest of the tax can be repealed eventually, but some called Peraica's measure a political ploy.
Democrat Toni Preckwinkle and Republican Roger Keats, candidates for the board presidency, say they support cutting the tax. Preckwinkle says she'd reduce it over time; Keats says he'd move to cut it soon after taking office.
Green Party candidate Tom Tresser has also said he would support eliminating it.