WHITESIDE COUNTY, Ill. — When it comes to saving lives, there's not a moment to lose, but law enforcement in Whiteside County will continue to wait to expand their services.
Voters in Whiteside County are rejecting an additional tax that would fund upgrades to local law enforcement offices. This is the third time in four years.
"People are financially struggling," Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker said. "It's tough. Everything is so expensive these days."
Sheriff John Booker is in his second term, but he has seen the office's highs and lows. The official spent a quarter of a century working in the Sheriff's Office, and he says his crew needs help.
"[It's] frustrating that it didn't go through this time," Booker said. "I hate paying taxes the same as everyone else, but this is one I can support. Not just because I'm the sheriff and it helps us, but it's one that benefits the citizens of Whiteside County."
The rejected local sales tax would be set at 0.5%, which is down from the 1% proposed in 2022. If the referendum was passed, consumers would spend an additional 50 cents for every $100 of taxable retail purchases. Since the tax would be places on consumer's purchases, those from out of the area would end up pitching to keep the services up and running.
A chunk of the potential sales tax would be used to pay the salaries of dispatchers. The Whiteside County Law Enforcement Center is also hoping to bring staffers from the two buildings into one.
"We need to do a better job on getting education out to the people, so they see this is a tax that is good," Booker said. "This is one, public safety. When you call 911, you want to make sure the people answering that are trained and are handling your situation the way it needs to be handled."
Booker said the vote is moving in the direction he hoped to see; this year's referendum earned more supporters than it did two years ago.
The County is considering adding the referendum back to the ballot in April.