State of Kane County address features tax hike, tourism plans and trucking woes

Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog began selling local business owners on a motor fuel tax increase Thursday as part of a wide-ranging state of the county business address.

Pierog brandished a new selling point absent from the debate about a 4-cents-per-gallon gas tax increase the county board considered, but abandoned, while closing a $16 million budget deficit for 2022. She pointed to an onslaught of new trucking businesses and distribution centers opening in the county. Proximity to I-90, I-88 and Route 47 within the county makes it a magnet for such businesses, Pierog said.

Those trucks also take a toll on county roads and infrastructure, she said. Residential neighborhoods founded on enjoying rural tranquility are becoming more industrial.

"I didn't think trucks were ever a four-letter word, but right now they are really becoming a contentious situation in many of our communities," Pierog said. "The impact of trucks and an increase in traffic is something our roads and communities are going to have to face. I don't have the solution. It really is about our community as well as being able to allow job growth, development and support of our businesses."

Recruiting more truck drivers to the county would boost the businesses that are opening, Pierog said. The county has 7,000 registered truck drivers. It needs at least 21,000 truck drivers, she added. And all those trucks need good roads and bridges. The money from a gas tax hike would help maintain and improve that infrastructure, she said.

"Do you have to pay more money at the pump? It's true," Pierog said. "But what happens if we don't have good roads? Our distribution breaks down. You run into a pothole and need major repairs on your car. Like you, we want to make sure our financial health is solid."

Pierog also presented a vision for expanded tourism in the county. It centers on a project she called the "Fabulous Fox River Trail." It would establish the Fox River in Kane County as a place where canoers and kayakers can come down the river, park, then dine, shop and check out entertainment venues before heading further down the river.

That vision pairs with what county and forest preserve district officials hope to see at the Settler's Hill cross country course.

"There's going to be thousands of runners coming here, parents with children who may spend the night at our hotels, eating at your restaurants and going to the outlet malls," Pierog said.

The most immediate economic boost will come with the end of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's mask mandates, Pierog said. Pierog continues to support COVID-19 testing and vaccination, but she said it's time to ease back on masking.

"I truly applaud Pritzker's removal of the mask mandate at the end of the month," she told local business owners. "It has been disruptive."