CITY BEAT: ILLINOIS GASOLINE TAX GOING UP AGAIN ON JULY 1 TO 48 CENTS PER GALLON!

  

          On July 1st of this year, Illinois drivers will have to pay 48 cents per gallon in motor fuel tax!
According to an article by Dylan Sharkey, assistant editor at Illinois Policy, “That means Illinoisans will likely stay at No. 2 in the country for highest gas taxes.
     “It might not stop there as state lawmakers are floating a vehicle mileage tax because they claim they’re not getting enough money for roads.
     “Because Gov. J.B. Pritzker doubled the state gas tax in 2019 and built in automatic annual increases, drivers on average will be paying an extra $143.00 annually after the July 1 boost. The state excise tax on gas was 19 cents before then.”
     It doesn’t take a genuis to figure out that one reason gas prices are higher in Illinois than in some other adjoining states is because of the high motor fuel tax.
     In addition, Illinois counties that also have their own fuel tax have driven total motor fuel taxes to more than 85 cents per gallon!
     Illinois and California are the only two states that have combined motor fuel taxes in some of their counties that exceed 80 cents per gallon!
     I’ve seen posts on Facebook from Macon County residents who are traveling in other states that include photos of the posted gas prices where they are traveling — and they are a lot lower price than what we are paying in Central Illinois.
     That’s the reason that many travelers wait until they are out of Illinois to fill up their vehicle’s gas tank.
     I guess it wouldn’t be as irritating to pay such high motor fuel taxes if I could see evidence that the money is keeping the roads in Central Illinois in great condition.
     Many of the roads I travel, that are supposedly maintained by the State of Illinois, are so rough that it makes me think I’m driving a buckboard with wooden wheels!
     For the amount of motor fuel tax we are paying as Illinois residents, we should be able to see massive, tangible road improvements in our area.
     Our state being ranked #2 in the highest motor fuel tax category is not an honor.

     • NUMBER ONE — The Illinois Policy Institute’s newest Lincoln Poll found 54% of Illinois voters identified high taxes as the No. 1 issue facing the state, an increase of 2 percentage points from January.      “The economy climbed to second place, ranked as a top issue by 33% of the voters. It was tied for the No. 3 issue in the January Lincoln Poll. Housing affordability ranked as the top issue for nearly 1 in 5 Illinois voters.
     These increases are a departure from previous polling, where crime and immigration held higher spots.
     “We’re seeing voters shift to caring more about their cost of living in this round of polling,” said Patrick Andriesen, a writer at the Illinois Policy Institute. “Where social concerns had dominated attention, now Illinoisans are increasingly worried about making ends meet.     Lawmakers must stop pursuing tax hike proposals and focus on keeping residents in the state.”
     The poll also showed that 49.5% of voters said they would move out of Illinois if given the opportunity, a slight increase from January. Only 40% said they would rather stay in Illinois. The remaining 10.5% said they were unsure.

     • TAX BILLS —The Macon County Treasurer’s Office is announcing that 2024 payable 2025 property tax bills will be mailed to property owners on or before May 13, 2025.
     Residents are encouraged to be on the lookout for their bills and to review them carefully upon receipt.
     “We want to ensure property owners have the information they need in a timely manner,” said Macon County Treasurer John Jackson. “Providing an early notice gives people the opportunity to plan and ask questions if needed.”
     More details about the property tax bills can be found on page 13 of today’s print and online editions of the Decatur Tribune.

     • SHINNER’S — This week’s “Scrapbook” feature on pages 4 and 5 of today’s print and onine editions of the Decatur Tribune is about the popular Shinner’s Market that was located at 138 East Prairie in Decatur for 30 years.
     The market closed in 1967 and this newspaper clipping from the May 12, 1967, edition of the Decatur Review gave the reason:
     As most of you know, the Decatur Review was the evening edition of the daily newspaper.

     • YIKES!!!! I was heading west on Main Street, and nearing “snake hill” (for the oldtimers reading this column) when an orange sporty-looking car passed by moving faster than I’ve ever seen a car go on that, or any other, city street!
     The car’s speed must have been 85-90 miles per hour! I’m not sure how the driver was able to negotiate snake hill but apparently they made it because I didn’t see any evidence of a crash when I got to that part of West Main.
     That driver definitely wins “The Craziest Driver Of The Week” award.
     Unfortunately (or fortunately) the driver and his car disappeared before I could make the trophy presentation.
     I can only imagine the impact of a crash with that car involving someone pulling onto West Main from a side street and never seeing that car approach until it was too late!
     The roads are not as safe as they should be with too many drivers apparently feeling they are on a race course!

     • FOLLOW-UP — Dale Jenkins sent me the following note regarding the April 23, 2025 “Scrapbook’ photo on page 4 about the Illinois Terminal: “The gentleman in the hat is City Passenger Agent Clarence J Hill. He started with the ITS on March 1, 1907 as a ticket agent in the Transfer House. moved to the Wood Street station, then to Van Dyke Street. He retired on June 9, 1955, and passenger service ended on June 11, 1955. The irony of this was that final day was his day off.”
     Thanks, Dale, for your continuing information about the Illinois Terminal. The “Scrapbook” article attracted a lot of interest.

     • MORE ON ITS — Dan Weber was another reader, among several, who responded to the April 23 article on the interurban: “Paul: I so enjoyed the interurban article. It brought back memories of 79 or 80 years ago. In 1945 and 1946 my mother and I rode the ‘electric train’ from the corner of Comet and Broadway to the Van Dyke station every day. I went to Pugh School kindergarten. We lived on Comet Ave in north Decatur. I think Mom went from Pugh to my grandparents house on Dunham each day while I was in school. That is a lot of exercise, (about 8 or 9 blocks one way, plus the 4 or 5 blocks from the interurban station to Pugh) 5 days a week for 9 months! I suspect my grandma might have come and picked her up sometimes.”
     Thank you, Dan, for sharing those special memories with us.

     • POSITIVE MOVE — State Representative Regan Deering (R-Decatur) held a Legislative Update last Friday evening at the Forsyth Public Library located at 268 S. Elwood Street.

     Deering who represents the 88th District said: “Events like this are a great way for residents to learn about what is happening in Springfield, what legislation is on the horizon, and for me to hear more about what concerns are on the forefront of everyone’s minds. As a new Representative, I want to keep a clear line of communication, and by hosting these events, I can continue to do so.”
It is great to see a state representative hold a public meeting when so many elected officials at the state and federal level seem to want to hide from the constituents they represent and not schedule any public forums.
     Deering was a busy campaigner and is a hard worker in representing the people of her district — and she isn’t timid about meeting with them.
     That’s refreshing to see these days.

     • I JOIN Brian Byers on WSOY’s Byers & Co. every Thursday morning at 7:00 for the “City Hall Insider” half hour — something we’ve done since nearly the turn of the century — the 21st Century!

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