PIKE COUNTY, IL SHERIFF URGES YES VOTE ON PUBLIC SAFETY SALES TAX

PITTSFIELD — Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood is urging voters to support a proposed public safety sales tax when they head to the polls in Tuesday’s primary election.

The ballot measure asks voters whether the Pike County Board should be authorized to increase the county’s public safety sales tax by an additional one-quarter of one percent. Revenue from the tax would be used to support operations and maintenance of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office.

Greenwood said the department has already reduced spending during the past two years, including cutting two positions in the current fiscal year. He warned that additional cuts would likely impact patrol deputies and could affect response times across the county.

The sheriff also addressed past discussions about closing the Pike County Jail, saying that doing so would likely increase costs because inmates would still have to be housed in other counties. That would require paying other counties for housing while also covering transportation costs for court appearances, medical visits, and other required travel.

Greenwood noted the proposed tax would be a sales tax rather than a property tax, meaning anyone making retail purchases in the county would contribute to the funding, including visitors and non-residents.

The longtime sheriff said the outcome of the vote will affect the future of law enforcement services in Pike County and encouraged residents to participate in the March 17 primary election.