ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Rock Island residents have been asking for the city to fix its roads for years, and it's not hard to see where residents are coming from. All it takes is one wrong turn, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a construction site, greeted by street closure signs and safety fences.
This is an issue Mayor Mike Thoms understands all too well. With his office at the heart of the downtown area, Thoms's office is ready to see changes.
"We've been falling behind on road maintenance in the city of Rock Island," admitted Mayor Thoms. "We're an older town. The infrastructure in the city of Rock Island is old, whether it be the water, sewers and roads. It's very difficult to maintain those without having the funds to do that."
The city is creating a new revenue stream to repair traffic signals, sidewalks and the roads we all share. Beginning in November this new street improvement utility fee will be added to resident's water bills. Officials expect the fee to bring in $2 million, nearly four times more than it would with the gas tax.
Your total will vary depending on the size of your land, according to the press release from the city of Rock Island.
- All parcels with a gross area of less than 6,000 square feet will pay $7 monthly.
- Parcels over 6,000 but less than 18,000 square feet will pay $10 monthly.
- Parcels over 18,000 but less than 43,560 square feet (an acre) will pay $20 monthly.
- Parcels greater than 43,560 square feet will pay $30 per month
Community members, like Hedi Zvonik, aren't thrilled they'll have to open their wallets and pocketbooks a little wider.
"I don't think that's fair," argued Zvonik, a Quad Cities-lifer. "I think the people are paying enough in taxes. The recession has hit everyone hard. We're all struggling to make ends meet. Everybody's living paycheck to paycheck. And I don't think that's something that will last because people are going to get tired of that. We're paying enough, especially in Illinois. Our taxes are high, already."
The new fee was proposed by the City Manger of Public Works. Whether you agree taxes are high or not, city officials believe this is the path forward.
"We've worked over the years at trying to be the most productive, low-cost way of keeping roads in good shape," explained Mayor Thoms. "But at some point, you [have to] replace them. And that's very, very expensive. This is, at this point, a necessary thing we have to do."