Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019 | View in browser
Evanston’s 2020 Budget is full of increased taxes and fees and is bad for the 6th Ward
Evanston’s City Council passed the 2020 Budget on a 7-2 vote at our November 25 meeting. I was one of those voting no. The city portion of your property taxes will likely be higher, the City of Evanston just does not know by how much. The library portion of your property tax bill will increase. The sales tax you pay when shopping in Evanston will be .25% higher. The amusement tax you pay “for the privilege of admission to any amusement” in the City of Evanston will increase from 4% to 5%.
The rate you pay to park on the street will increase to $2 an hour but Sunday parking will be free. I guess that counts as a win for residents but does not solve the underlying issue that our parking policies are not well thought out, are very aggressively enforced and continue to put our merchants at a disadvantage to neighboring communities.
Any revenue that the City of Evanston realizes from recreational cannabis sales will go to the City of Evanston Reparations Fund until funding from that source has reached $10 million. The Reparations Subcommittee is currently working to determine how the Reparations Fund dollars will be utilized in the future.
I voted no on this because in a town full of financial needs and obligations I believe it is bad policy to dedicate tax revenue from a particular source, in unknown annual amounts, to a purpose that has yet to be determined.
Individuals and institutions who wish to make contributions to the City of Evanston Reparations Fund may do so. I voted no to funding reparations with recreational cannabis revenue not because I don’t support the City taking responsibility for the role it played in disadvantaging our African American residents, but because it is bad policy.
Ultimately, this budget is a bad deal for 6th Ward residents and businesses. We will continue to pay more, get less in return and fall further behind our neighboring communities in livability.
Thomas M. Suffredin
Alderman, 6th Ward
847-859-7810
tsuffredin@cityofevanston.org
www.cityofevanston.org
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