Mudron 5 Rejects Plan To Only Raise Fuel Tax On Diesel

JOLIET, IL — After Governor J.B. Pritzker raised gasoline taxes by 19 cents per gallon in July and Will County Executive Larry Walsh voted to raise Will County's gasoline taxes another 4 cents per gallon come Feb. 1, Jan Quillman thought it was time to waive the caution flag.

The Joliet City Councilwoman vigorously opposed efforts by interim city manager Steve Jones to raise Joliet's fuel taxes from 1 cent per gallon to 4 cents per gallon. Newly elected Sherri Reardon revealed her idea of raising the city's fuel taxes over the summer. Reardon kept quiet about her fuel hike plan until after the voters elected her to represent them for the next four years.

Last week, Quillman proposed a compromise. She suggested the council only raise the diesel fuel tax and avoid imposing an additional 3-cent per gallon tax increase on Joliet motorists who purchase unleaded or other blends of fuel.

Jones said the proposal of raising Joliet's fuel tax to 4 cents per gallon would apply to all blends.

"I think we have to be a little careful about going a little further with one type of fuel because we do have several developments in process. I don't think we want to discourage some of the economic development that might involve some fuel," Jones said last week.

Jones did not offer specific developments at the Dec. 26 council meeting, but it's no secret the Loves Travel Stop that the council approved in October 2018 may come fruition in 2020.

Loves has the city's approval to build a new truck and travel stop at the Briggs Street exit along Interstate 80.

"Don't all those big trucks that come through here use diesel fuel?" Quillman asked Jones last week.

"Quite a few of them," Jones responded.

Given that so many "18 wheelers" are using Joliet's streets, "let's separate it and do the diesel," Quillman suggested. "To lessen this tax for our people, the taxpayers."

But when Quillman proposed withdrawing the motor fuel tax from the city's budget, the Mudron 5 became united as one.

The Mudron 5 wanted all motorists, regardless of truck, car or van, to share the burden of having their fuel taxes increased in 2020, if they choose to purchase gas in Joliet.

Those voting "aye" to remove the fuel tax from the city's budget were:

Quillman, Larry Hug and Terry Morris. Mayor Bob O'Dekirk could not vote, but he has been outspoken against any measure to raise the city's fuel taxes.

Those voting "no" on removing the fuel tax from the budget were:

Mike Turk, Bettye Gavin, Don "The Duck" Dickinson, Sherri Reardon and Pat Mudron.

With that, Quillman's motion failed 5-3, a deputy city clerk announced.

"I had talked to Mr. Jones last week about that very thing, about separating the diesel and his concern was there are several truck stops on the books now that may reconsider not coming here if the diesel is separated, so I vote no," Turk told the council.

Turk's comments prompted councilman Hug to address O'Dekirk.

"Mayor, it's good to know that we're making sure that we don't scare away possible truck stops, but yet we're taxing our residents out of this city," Hug said.

O'Dekirk turned to Turk, who has been on the city council for 31 years.

"Just so we're clear, because maybe you misspoke," O'Dekirk told Turk. "They don't mind the gas tax being raised, but they only mind if it's diesel gas?"

Turk: "No. You didn't understand me. I asked Mr. Jones if we could tax the diesel at a higher rate than gasoline. He was concerned about separating the two. Because some of the towns around here do have a different tax for gasoline versus diesel."

O'Dekirk: "So, instead of separating, we're just going to raise it all. You think that they're going to be happy with that?"

Turk: "No. You know I've never had anybody come to me and say, 'Please raise the gas tax, please raise my water bill, please raise this.' Nobody's ever said that. Nobody's going to come and tell you to raise this stuff."

O'Dekirk: "Well exactly. And they're saying the opposite."

Turk: "Right."

Next, Jones explained why he did not want the council to impose a diesel-only fuel hike.

"My fear was that since we do have several large developments that are still on paper," Jones responded, "I don't think we want to discourage economic development. If somebody decides we're gouging diesel ... why would I come to Joliet with this new development, when I could take them to a place just outside of town?"

O'Dekirk: "Or they could say that about the whole gas tax being raised. That you're gouging everything. Not just diesel because we're going to sell a lot of unleaded fuel, too, but we're going to gouge them then. Which is what they have expressed."

Then, Mayor O'Dekirk blasted Jones. He let him have it.

"You are stifling economic development," the mayor told Jones.

Then, Hug piled on.

"Mayor, I'm going to expand on that. Economic development and we all know why, has been dead since May or June. The committee hardly meets anymore. So I don't know what Steve means by stifling, it's already dead," Hug told everyone Dec. 26.

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