McHenry Co. Board Chair Denounces Gas Tax Hike

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has announced that any talk of increasing the county’s motor fuel tax will go nowhere. The law that doubled Illinois’ gas tax from 19 to 38 cents a gallon, and increased the diesel tax by a nickel to 45.5 cents a gallon, also allows McHenry County to double its existing gas tax from 4 to 8 cents a gallon, Franks said in a news release last week.

The state increase will help fund the $45 billion “Rebuild Illinois”capital plan signed into law in June by Governor JB Pritzker.

“While I wholeheartedly support the immediate need to address Illinois’ crumbling infrastructure, I understand all too well the pain that McHenry County residents are feeling – not just at the pump, but at the cash register as higher fuel taxes increase the cost of getting goods on the shelves," Franks said. "I have heard several calls to examine raising our gas tax as well. Our constituents are paying enough, and the idea of taking more money from them is a nonstarter.”

Besides the county and state gas tax, McHenry County drivers pay a federal tax of 18.4 cents a
gallon, a 6.25 percent state sales tax, and a .75-percent sales tax that subsidizes the Regional
Transportation Authority. One-third of the RTA tax is distributed to the collar counties for local
infrastructure projects, according to the news release.

“McHenry County drivers will see a significant return on their investment with the $57 million set
aside in the Rebuild Illinois plan to widen Route 47 in Woodstock between Route 14 and Route
120," Franks said. "It’s long past time for that rush-hour bottleneck to come to an end. However, every cent that government takes from taxpayers is money they can’t spend or save, and higher gas taxes are especially onerous for low-income families. McHenry County has reduced its property tax levy by $18 million over two years, and is poised to rebate more than $9.2 million from the Valley Hi Nursing Home fund surplus back to homeowners. Raising our gas tax is anathema to me, and it will not happen as long as I am Chairman.”