The Vandalia City Council will hold a special council meeting on Monday, July 30 following the scheduled public budget hearing at which they will decide whether or not to add a sales tax question on the November ballot. During Monday night’s council meeting, the ordinance that was scheduled to be discussed and voted on was tabled so the council could get more input from the community. During discussion, Mayor Rick Gottman explained that the increase in the sales tax would be used to fund police pensions that the city comes up short on every year. Mayor Gottman reminded the council that just this year, they had to move over $50,000 from the General Fund to cover the pensions.
The ordinance that the council will vote on will remove the current 0.5% additional sales tax in the city and would replace it with a 1% sales tax increase meaning the current rate of 6.75% would go up to 7.25% if it is approved. Currently the 0.5% sales tax goes directly to infrastructure and that will remain the case if a new one tax is added as one-half percent of the tax would remain going to infrastructure and the additional one-half percent would go directly to police pensions.
The special council meeting to discuss and possibly vote on an ordinance to put the question of a sales tax increase on the November ballot will be held Monday, July 30 at 7:30pm. Prior to the special meeting, there will be a budget hearing at 7:00pm. The meetings will both be held in City Council chambers and are open to the public.