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ROCK FALLS – The Rock Falls City Council heard a report Tuesday night about the consequences of a failed referendum that would have instated a 0.5% sales tax throughout Whiteside County to help fund emergency dispatch services.
Whiteside County voters on Nov. 5 rejected the measure on a 16,913-8,771 vote.
The 0.5% public safety sales tax would have collected 50 cents per every $100 spent on general merchandise bought in Whiteside County and was estimated to raise $2 million annually. The money would have been used to help shore up an annual $500,000 deficit, and any funds left over would have been used to buy equipment and radio and software upgrades while allowing for multiagency interaction.
[ Whiteside County votes down public safety sales tax; almost 66% of voters say ‘no’ ]
Outside of radio surcharges, Sterling and Rock Falls have been footing the majority of the bill. Over the past year, Sterling paid $392,465 and Rock Falls paid $294,348, totaling $686,813, as part of their agreement to pay for dispatch services.
Now that the tax referendum has failed, smaller communities in the county – including Morrison, Fulton, Erie, Albany, Lyndon, Tampico, Prophetstown, Coleta, Deer Grove and Fenton – will have to start chipping in to make up the shortfall.
Rock Falls City Administrator Robbin Blackert on Tuesday night told the City Council that the city is now looking for equity, taking much of the cost burden off the county’s east side residents and having other towns, such as Fulton and Prophetstown, pay their fair share.
“That’s going to put a strain on them,” Blackert said. “Those towns are going to have to find money, now that the referendum didn’t pass, to pay their fair share.”
In other news, a couple of ordinances were adopted, including vacating the right of way as part of Avenue E in block 18 of the Chamberlain Brothers subdivision. A Zoning Board recommendation was accepted for the new Love’s gas station in Rock Falls, with a subdivision created.
[ Love’s Travel Stop coming to Rock Falls in 2025 ]
Fire Chief Ken Wolf let the council know that there will be a fireworks display at the McCormick Event Center on Nov. 30. Wolf said all of the necessary paperwork had been submitted, and the five- to six-minute show highlights a wedding reception.
First Ward Alderwoman Gabriella McKanna, the Finance Committee chair, brought a recommendation from the American Rescue Plan Act Committee to obligate the remaining funds of $15,517 for improvements at city parks. ARPA funds have to be spent by the end of the year.
The council also heard a request from Rock Falls resident Penny Patton, who lives at Riverside Mobile Estates in Whiteside County. She asked for assistance with repairs to Regan Road, where the homes are located and which is now being used more often by large vehicles because of construction on Route 30. Patton said sections of the road flood after a heavy rainfall.
Patton also asked for more police presence in the park, suggesting the installation of surveillance cameras. Her requests were recorded and will be taken into consideration.