At the start of the new year, Madison County will have a new Board Chair at the helm.
Republican Chris Slusser, who is currently Madison County Treasurer, unseated the two-term incumbent Kurt Prenzler from his own party in the primary back in March 2024, which virtually assured Slusser for office.
Slusser joined KMOX's 'Total Information A.M.' on Wednesday to discuss his goals for the position, including Slusser saying Illinois must change how it funds schools to address its high property taxes.
"The only way we're going to change the way property taxes work in Illinois.....we have to change the way we have to fund schools," said Slusser. "Our schools take about 65% of our tax bill."
"There are other states that have gone to a reform method, primarily funding schools through sales tax. Indiana did this about 15 years ago, they cut their property tax bill in half and kept the amount that the tax bill can be in relation to your property value."
Slusser said he has discussed this idea with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week and Pritzker does seem receptive to the idea according to Slusser.
Slusser also discussed the recent vote in Illinois where seven counties, including Madison County, voted in favor of seceding from Chicago and Cook County. 56.5% of votes casted in Madison County was in favor of exploring splitting from Cook County.
Slusser says he didn't think it "was a realistic proposal and they will spend a whole lot of time on it."
"I think that referendum was really just a way for folks to voice their displeasure with Chicago, and I know some people up north were upset about it," said Slusser. "It was a non-bining referendum. It's not like we're forming a new state in January or something like that. It would take a pretty monumental effort."
"I think it has to be ratified by three-quarters of the states in this country, which would have to also be approved by Congress. This country is way too divided for anything like that to happen. I think we just have to work together and make Illinois better."
