By Heart of Illinois ABC
NORMAL – A less-than-unified Normal Town Council voted Monday night to double the local gasoline tax to help pay for road and sidewalk improvements, and perhaps to increase funding for Connect Transit, the Twin-Cities public transportation system.
The council voted 4-3 to raise the local tax to eight cents per gallon, equaling Bloomington, which doubled its own gas tax last year.
Normal’s vote had not changed since the council discussed the issue at a work session two weeks ago. Mayor Chris Koos, and council members Kevin McCarthy, Chemberly Cummings, and Karyn Smith supported the tax hike.
Council members Kathleen Lorenz, Scott Preston, and Stan Nord voted no.
The extra four cents per gallon is expected to generate $1 million a year in funding. Town staffers noted cited research showing increasing the gas tax does little to change consumer behavior.
“I do believe we should be spending more on our roads but I do not believe raising taxes during a pandemic especially when the financial crisis impacts so many of our residents,” said Nord.
“Residents continue buying their gas where they typically have done so. Additionally, none of the changes above reflected a marked increase in the price of a gallon of gas; the price of a gallon of gas remains market-driven,” town staffers said in a report to the council.
“Data show us that gas prices that we pay our of pocket are unaffected by small increments,” said McCarthy.
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