City Council Wants to Amend Amusement Tax to Remove Instruction Courses from Taxation

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Published on July 5 2017 8:20 pm
Last Updated on July 5 2017 8:20 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

The Effingham City Council Wednesday agreed to remove instructional courses from having to pay the city amusement tax.

The City has been working for months to upgrade the tax to make sure entertainment venues pay the tax and performers and attractions are charged when they come to town. However, painting courses and dance lessons were never intended to be taxed, according to Effingham Mayor Jeff Bloemker, who said, "that part of the equation got by the Council." The Mayor said City Attorney Tracy Willenborg will rework the ordinance to remove such items from being subject to the tax.

The Council concurred with temporary street and parking lot closures for several downtown events coming up this season. Those include the Effingham Jam on July 28-29, the Our Town: Best of Effingham Downtown Party on August 11, and the Effingham County Old Settlers Reunion on September 23, as well as the fall Effingham Cruise Night on September 8.

Council members gave informal agreement to a request for assistance from Thelma Keller Convention Center for an upgrade of the Convention Center's Wi-Fi system, and to a wholesale sewer rate study to determine whether and how rates should be adjusted. The Council also seemed to give favorable reviews to the reconstruction of portions of Clark Avenue and Lawrence Avenue in the area of Bliss Park, and a portion of Main Street in the downtown area.

Also approved was the acquisition of furniture for the new police station for just under $202,000; an amendment to the site plan for Prairie Ace Estates Subdivision, the major residential development near Effingham Country Club; and a plat of Nolan Subdivision, two lots owned by Mike and Kathy Nolan on Leprechaun Lane off Routes 32/33.