Galesburg Aldermen will discuss assisting Knox College with the issuance of $45 million in bonds on Monday night. Knox has requested that the City assist with the bonds to refinance existing debt and undertake additional capital projects. The City has helped Knox with this sort of thing before. In fact, some of the debt being refinanced by this new bond issuance is from bond issuances the city helped within 1996 and 1999. The City would have no liability or obligation associated with repayment of the bonds nor any control over the use of the proceeds. Aldermen will also discuss stop signs at Grove St.’s intersection with Olive Street. Currently, there are yield signs at the intersection but a request was made to the city to see if stop signs were necessary. The Traffic Advisory Committee, in their review, found that trees, bushes, and structures impede visibility at the intersection. They’re recommending the intersection have stop signs, something the City Manager, Director of Public Works, and City Engineer all agree with.
Galesburg City Council will discuss adding a 1 percent tax on gamblers every time they push the button on a video gambling machine. It’s estimated this would generate between $300,000 and $400,000 in annual revenue. The tax would be on the players themselves but establishments that own video gaming terminals would be responsible for collecting them. The Illinois House of Representatives has passed legislation that stops municipalities from adding push tax on video gaming terminals, unless it was adopted before June 1, 2021. However, the Senate has not passed this bill. The Illinois Municipal League and other parties involved in the legislation believe it is likely that some version of this prohibition could be passed at the upcoming legislative veto session later this month. If it did pass the Senate, it is possible that the City could be prohibited from adopting this type of amusement tax. The administration says if the Council wishes to impose this tax, the safest measure is to immediately adopt an ordinance in order to avoid potential preemption by this new state law. At least two municipalities have been sued by the Illinois Gaming Machine Operators for such taxes, and the administration warns of the possibility the City of Galesburg could be sued as well.
