Residents urge clearer notices and warn of "property tax crisis" as Edwardsville advances facilities funding

Several residents told the council they want clearer communication and different spending priorities as the city considers a facilities master plan and funding measures.

Steve Johnson spoke directly to the council: "All I want to do is make sure that it's communicated to all residents what this is all about." He said he had received a text but that many neighbors had not, and he offered to sign up at City Hall to receive notices.

Johnson said neighbors prioritized basic services. "Residents I talked to, and I talked to a lot of them, all want these 2 items. Road sticks. They want fire station EMS operation of the run. I hear no desires to build any new shiny buildings," he said, warning that rising costs for taxes, food, fuel and insurance have residents "maxed out." He added, "People are losing their houses. This is a property tax crisis, and we just can't afford getting more taxes."

Council members and staff responded during the proceedings with procedural and financial clarifications: presenters said the proposed financing had been modeled and that temporary notes would convert to permanent financing by 2026. One council member raised a concern heard in the community that a general-purpose sales tax could be a "slush fund," and staff said the alternate resolution includes a 20-year sunset to limit duration.

The public comments underscored the fiscal concern that framed the council's later action to advance ballot measures for bonds and sales tax. The council voted to move the measures forward during the same meeting; detailed ballot language and additional outreach steps were expected to follow.