Home & Garden
20 Progressive ways to address the budget deficit in Evanston
How not to balance the City's budget on the backs of those least able to afford it.
Evanstonians tout diversity as a matter of pride. Our response to the City's budget deficit will be the true measure of how proud we really are: 37% of Evanstonians are at the 80th percentile of income; yet projected budget cuts disproportionately impact the bottom two quintiles of income which are only 24% of our population.
We need to do better - so, I crowdsourced ideas to cover the deficit and help us keep the Evanston we care about (thanks to my Facebook friends!) Please share these ideas as you discuss the budget!
1. Sliding-scale for fees and fines in Evanston.
2. Additional vehicles registered to a single licensed driver have exponentially increasing per-car wheel tax.
3. Empty rental property tax for commercial and residential property.
4. Charge for electric vehicle stations.
5. Landlord inspection fee.
6. Fire inspection fee.
7. Publicize payment in lieu of taxes list from *all* nonprofits in Evanston. Award "gold," "silver," "bronze" status.
8. Sales tax on online purchases (and capture existing tax collected by the State.)
9. Transient Occupancy Tax - short-term rentals: e.g. Air BnB, Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, Coworking spaces, Halls, etc. Exception rentals serving low-income residents (e.g. YMCA)
10. Increase tax on packaged liquor
11. Retail bag tax.
12. Boats/Boat access tax
13. Added tax on multi-unit landlords unless they offer a percentage of family-size units at affordable housing rates.
14. Event ticket tax - generate revenue via NU.
15. Luxury tax on lakefront property, or if Evanston home is 2nd home.
16. Increase tax on non-Evanstonians working in Evanston.
17. Equivalent to Luxury vehicle tax (tax based solely on cost prohibited by State.)
18. Higher fees for building luxury apartments.
19. Luxury tax - e.g. furs, jewelry, bicycles
20. Business income tax.