Why Western Springs Tax Hike Needed: Officials

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs officials said this week they want to hike the sales tax to pay for vehicles and equipment.

They said 18 of the village's 30 police and public works light vehicles are past their useful life.

According to a staff memo, the village needs another nearly $750,000 a year to keep its vehicles and equipment up-to-date.

Under state law, a town can raise its sales tax for non-grocery items by up to 1 percent. Based on 2024 data, a 1 percent tax could raise $1 million a year, the village said.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, officials supported using the money for vehicles and equipment.

"This is not a nice-to-have obligation for the village," Trustee Karen Martin said. "These are critical vehicles and equipment that have to be kept up if we're going to meet the needs of the services that we have to provide."

Trustee Lewis Scott Lewis agreed.

"It's an unpleasant task, but it's something we need to do to keep Western Springs a nice place to live."

The trustees did not vote on the tax, which many suburbs have already enacted.