Lake County Might Vote On 8-Cent-Per-Gallon Fuel Tax: Report

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Lake County officials could vote next month on an 8-cent fuel tax to help pay for some $1.7 billion in road and transportation projects laid out in the county’s 2040 transportation plan, the Daily Herald reports.

According to the publication, an ordinance for the measure could go to a vote at a county board meeting on March 9.

Shane Schneider, Lake County Division of Transportation director, told the Daily Herald the tax could bring in as much as $22 million a year.

The Illinois General Assemblies Counties Code was updated in June 2019 to allow DuPage, Kane, Lake, Will and McHenry to impose a fuel tax of between 4 and 8 cents per gallon on retail gasoline.

If the county board approves the measure on March 9, the tax will take effect on July 1 and remain effective through June 30, 2022, as mandated by the code.

The code requires that proceeds from the tax be used to operate, build and develop public highways and waterways and to acquire property and rights-of-way for highways and waterways within the county.