Madison County voters reject sales tax hike at the ballot box

Local voters struck down a 1 percent sales tax hike for the third time in seven years.

Voting on the measure for the third time since 2011, Madison County residents struck down the County Schools Facility Sales Tax, or CSFT, during the March 20 election.

Nearly 65 percent of voters were against the measure, with 27,523 voting no and 14,966 voting yes, according to AdVantage News.

The CSFT proposal comes from a law passed by the General Assembly in 2007, which permits local school districts to place a question on voting ballots asking if citizens want to raise the sales tax 1 percent – provided that the new revenue would flow to school facilities projects. Roughly 70 counties across the state have voted on raising their sales tax since the law was passed.

Madison County residents voted on the tax in 2011 and 2017, both times rejecting it. The 2011 vote was defeated by an 81-19 percent margin. The 2017 vote was much closer, with 50.3 percent voting no and 49.7 percent voting yes. It was decided by only 259 votes.

Some counties that have passed the 1 percent increase hoping it would lead to a reduction in their property taxes have yet to see relief. Thirteen school districts in Champaign County voted yes to the hike in 2009, but only one of them saw lower property taxes within five years.

Madison County, located in southwest Illinois near St. Louis, already sees hefty sales taxes.

Collinsville’s rate is 8.1 percent. Two business districts in Granite City both would have a sales tax over 10 percent if the motion had passed. The Nameoki Village Business district currently has a 9.1 percent tax and the Bellemore Village District has a 9.35 percent tax.

Vermillion County residents also voted on the measure, but like Madison County, voters rejected the hike.