The third time was a charm for a one-half cent sales tax for a new law enforcement center in Grundy County, as voters passed the measure Tuesday with more than 62 percent of the vote.
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The third time was a charm for a one-half cent sales tax for a new law enforcement center in Grundy County, as voters passed the measure Tuesday with more than 62 percent of the vote.
When the last vote was counted Tuesday night at the Grundy County Courthouse, a total of 1,381 voters had cast ?yes? ballots while 838 had voted ?no?. This was the third time the sales tax had been on the ballot, failing by a margin of 2,042 to 1,566 in 1998 and again in 2002 by a margin of 1,973 to 1,834. This time, the issue did not fail in any of the 16 voting precincts and only tied in one, Taylor Township, where the vote was 21-21.
Allen Berry, co-chairman of the Grundy County Law Enforcement Committee, which worked to see the issue pass, was excited and relieved.
?I?m just glad that it passed, that people took the time to vote,? he said. ?I?m just tickled to death that the patrons of the county have finally seen the need. No one wants to pay more taxes, but it?s a need and I think people see that. A lot of work went into seeing it pass, but there?s a lot more work to be done now.?
Presiding Commissioner Kenny Roberts said the process of constructing the combined county/city law enforcement center will begin as soon as possible, contacting Ken West of Architects West to formulate a schedule of how the estimated $3.4 million project will proceed. Acquisition of the properties located on the block south of the courthouse will also begin.
?Naturally, we?re going to have to acquire the properties,? Roberts said. ?We would like to have that entire block, if that?s possible.?
County commissioners have indicated that the use of eminent domain may come into play in acquiring the properties, including the former Nisbeth-Seidel building, owned by Jim McCarty. In any case, the commission has indicated they will not pay more than fair market value for the properties.
Roberts credited the work of the committee and the voters for the successful passage of the issue, which will allow the county to replace a 102-year-old jail and combine law enforcement operations into one location.
?I want to really, really thank the committee,? he said. ?They did an excellent job. It wouldn?t have passed without them. And I want to thank the voters for having an open mind and for looking at all the information and making what I think is the right decision.?
Roberts said it was hard to find the right words to describe how he was feeling Tuesday evening after having waited several years to see the issue approved and to have it approved by such a large margin.
?I?m really just overwhelmed. I felt we would be lucky just to have it pass. This shows the county sees there?s a real need for this jail and they got behind it. We really appreciate it.?