Tax increase for McLean County schools to appear on April 1st ballot

Image courtesy of Bloomington Public Schools District 87 website 

NORMAL, Ill. – A proposed 1% sales tax by Bloomington Public Schools District 87 will appear on the ballot in the April 1 election. The revenue from this tax would support building maintenance, facilities, and mental health resources for both Unit School District 5 and District 87. School board President Elizabeth Fox Anvick offered some details on how exactly the funds will be used.

“The why is that… the money that generated from the 1% sales tax would be able to fund maintenance and facilities for the buildings within McLean County,” Anvick said. “It would allow for additional money for safety and security, and then also for mental health resources.”

This sales tax has been put to a vote on the ballot in previous years, but has failed. Anvick shared what sparked the proposal of this tax in the first place.

“The counties surrounding McLean County, all have it, so we’re actually one of the few counties in the state of Illinois that doesn’t actually have it,” Anvick said. “If you were to go shopping in say Peoria or Champaign or Springfield, you’re actually paying the tax for their school districts already. It’s kind of something that the districts looked at and said ‘Well this would be an opportunity to keep those dollars here in McLean County’.”

This tax will not be applied to currently untaxed items in the state of Illinois including groceries and medicine. While the sales tax won’t apply to everything, Anvick did address the possible negative impacts of this tax.

“Anytime you spend a dollar, you are going to be spending an extra penny. We know inflation is high right now, but I think District 87 has shown that we’re very prudent with our tax payer’s money and that we could actually make that 1 cent go further than the 1 cent buying power,” said Anvick.

On Wednesday, the District 87 school board committed to giving back to the taxpayers a third of what they have taken through property tax relief. This would equate to about a $330 savings on the tax bill for a house that’s appraised at around $250,000. Unit 5 passed a similar resolution stating that if the sales tax passes, they will be committed to providing relief to property tax.

“Anytime you invest in education, you’re investing in your future because education is the bedrock for creating the next generation,” said Anvick.

Election day is April 1. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. Early voting began Feb 20.