Cook County Beverage Tax Repeal Vote set for October 10
A meeting of the Cook County Board’s Finance Committee has been called for Tuesday, October 10 at 10:00am to take up the ordinance to repeal the Cook County Sweetened Beverage Tax.
At the request of Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison, the lead sponsor of the ordinance, Finance Committee Chairman John Daley has agreed to set a meeting date to conduct a public hearing on the matter and have the item considered before the board.
“It’s time for the county board to vote and we will now have a vote to repeal on October 10. This regressive Beverage Tax is slamming our residents and businesses. We need to take action and stem the economic damage,” stated Commissioner Morrison.
On August 9, Commissioner Morrison submitted the Beverage Tax Repeal Ordinance with the aggressive goal of waving the board rules and fast tracking the repeal ordinance directly to the board floor for a straight up or down vote on September 13.
Commissioner Morrison recognized that the political will for a fast track vote was not there among a voting majority of his colleagues, therefore the repeal ordinance was sent to the Finance Committee.
“Subverting the will of the people is a dangerous road to tread for this county board and there will likely be significant consequences as a result if action on the repeal vote is not taken,” added Morrison.
Last November, the Beverage Tax was passed by the county board by the slimmest of margins. It took a first-ever vote from President Toni Preckwinkle to break an 8-8 deadlock and pass the tax into law. It was unpopular with the county board upon passage and now it’s reviled by residents at a staggering number nearing almost 90%.
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