<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=11Z7VA_0vjeEdxu00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=11Z7VA_0vjeEdxu00" width="1920" height="1440" ><figcaption>The newly remodeled 911 call center in Morrison.</figcaption></figure>Currently, only residents in Sterling, Rock Falls, and unincorporated areas are paying for the emergency call system through property taxes.“We hope to bring in $2 million annually from the sales tax,” said Amy Robbins, Whiteside County administrator. “We haven’t had any calls about it, but we’ve been attending public meetings to spread the word.”If voters approve the sales tax, property taxes for Sterling and Rock Falls residents will decrease, Robbins said. However, if the sales tax is rejected, all homeowners in Whiteside County would have to pay a property tax to cover the costs, and Sterling and Rock Falls property taxes would remain the same.In short, voters are deciding between a sales tax or a property tax. “We’re going to have to pay one or the other,” Robbins explained.This is the second time voters in Whiteside County have been asked to approve a safety sales tax, according to Sheriff John Booker. The county had previously asked for a 1% sales tax.“We used COVID relief money (federal funds distributed during the pandemic) to remodel the 911 Dispatch in Morrison and consolidate the call centers,” Booker said. “That’s why we’re now only asking for half of that amount.”The county’s 911 office in Sterling will close, and all 911 calls will be routed to the newly remodeled office in Morrison.“The goal is to ensure everyone pays their fair share,” Booker said.Additional Local ReferendumsIn Lee County, a referendum will decide whether the Harmon Fire Department should be annexed into the Amboy Fire Department.Meanwhile, voters in the Bureau Valley School District in Whiteside and Lee counties will decide whether residents who are not part of a library district should be included in the Walnut Library District.Voting will take place beginning September 26th at the Morrison Courthouse.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Whiteside County 911 Dispatch Seeks Sales Tax Approval

Currently, only residents in Sterling, Rock Falls, and unincorporated areas are paying for the emergency call system through property taxes. “We hope to bring in $2 million annually from the sales tax,” said Amy Robbins, Whiteside County administrator. “We haven’t had any calls about it, but we’ve been attending public meetings to spread the word.”