Metro East Sun

Kurt Prenzler, chairman of the Madison County Board, is warning residents that the 1 percent proposed sales tax increase on the April 4 ballot is a mistake. 

The proposed tax would fund new school buildings in the county. 

“School boards representing at least 51 percent of the student population in Madison County voted to put a proposed tax increase on the April 4 ballot," Madison County Citizens for Sustainable Education, a political action committee that opposes the proposal, said. "Edwardsville District 7 and Collinsville District 10 oppose this new tax. We all want what is best for the children in our county as much as anyone. But building new facilities will not solve our education issues.”

Prenzler told the Metro East Sun that this tax would “hurt everybody.” 

“We think this is an empty promise," he said. "It would make Madison County less attractive, and it would be another tax for new business.”

Investment bankers who facilitate the $23 million measure are the prime beneficiaries, Prenzler said. 

“It's all about issuing hundreds of millions of dollars of bonds," he said. "The investment bankers will pocket millions in fees and bonuses. The taxpayers will be left deep in debt.” 

Citizens for Kurt Prenzler, his campaign support committee, has warned of the consequences of approving such a tax. 

“Listen carefully, regardless of how the school boards currently say they intend to use their portion of the $23 million, remember this: It is their ‘stated intentions’ only," the committee said. "Once this would pass, any school board in Madison County can change their intended use of these taxes the very next day.”  

Prenzler said a bond similar to this was proposed “six years ago and defeated by the voters.”

The question will not be on all school board ballots on April 4. 

“The reason it’s on the ballot is because the school boards voted to put it on the ballot," he said. "Not all school districts voted to put it on the ballot. Edwardsville and Collinsville voted to not put it on the ballot.”

He said he feels that it is his duty to warn residents of the possible effects of such a tax and said instead of imposing new taxes, he wants to focus on making the county an attractive place for new businesses.

“I’m a county-wide chairman of Madison County, and I believe that one of my goals is to have good ethics in government and to try my best to do what we can to lower taxes," Prenzler said. "I want to make sure the county is a place [that is] attractive for families, businesses and jobs. I think this is all about issuing bonds for investment bankers.”