Pension gap widening in Du Quoin Final vacation resort is elevating property taxes, says mayor

The metropolis of Du Quoin has been maintaining up with its pension obligations for retired metropolis employees, but the condition upcoming year is wanting alarming, the mayor mentioned.

“It is not extremely superior,” Mayor Dude Alongi explained to the town council bluntly past week. “Correct now we are searching at a $62,000 maximize in excess of past year.” And the 12 months soon after could be an additional shortfall of $30,000 to $70,000.

“Either we have to suck it up and consider the funds from other sources, or we’re likely to have to increase property taxes.”

The property tax for police and fireplace pensions is the only house tax Du Quoin levies.

And town leaders really feel a duty to maintain individuals taxes as small as achievable, Alongi reported.

“We have been quite frugal about raising taxes over the earlier 5 years,” he extra. “But in the middle of a pandemic, the economy’s not superior.

“If we have to increase assets taxes, people today are going to have to understand that to keep a law enforcement and hearth division as we have them, we will have to increase taxes,” he additional.

Final yr, Alongi said, the metropolis pulled income from the taxes on gaming. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, quite a few of the enterprise with slot equipment shut down altogether in the spring and have not been accomplishing land-office company since they had been permitted to reopen.

Du Quoin is limited on video gaming receipts by $44,000, so considerably, Alongi reported.

“If you comply with southern Illinois news, several towns have enhanced assets taxes — Herrin, Marion and Carbondale,” he extra, naming 3 metropolitan areas that, like Du Quoin, have full-time police and fireplace departments.

“We’re striving to maintain wages aggressive in Du Quoin, which we are.”

Alongi stated he, Commissioner Jill Kirkpatrick and unique projects coordinator Chuck Novak will appear at their possibilities, and “make the very best choice we can.”

The mayor explained if they are heading to elevate property taxes following yr they have to let the taxpayers know comparatively shortly.

“I you should not know if I am there however,” he claimed. “There are other techniques to satisfy our obligations, like not filling positions.”

Still, Alongi does not like the plan of working a metropolis funds by attrition, and quoted his father, who mentioned, “You can not run metropolis govt on a champagne urge for food and a beer pocketbook.”