As Gas Prices Surge to $6 per Gallon in Cook County, Boykin Renews Call for Preckwinkle to Provide Relief for Residents
Attorney Richard Boykin, candidate for Cook County Board President, renewed his call for President Preckwinkle to temporarily suspend the county portion of the gas tax. Boykin noted, “I have been calling for suspension of the gas tax since March of this year. Since then, prices have continued to climb and are now $6 a gallon. President Preckwinkle has refused to act and says it is “bad public policy.”
The gasoline index has increased 48.7 percent over the last year, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to AAA, the average price of gas in Cook County on Thursday was around $6 a gallon — 20 percent higher than the national average of $5 a gallon, and 10 percent more than the average price of gas in Illinois.
Boykin added, ‘While a temporary suspension of the gas tax would help motorists, President Preckwinkle instead called a special meeting of the Board on May 24th to approve herself and other county elected officials a 10 percent salary increase and a 3 percent increase annually for the next four years. She has shown more of a sense of urgency in securing a pay increase for herself than she has in providing relief at the pump for struggling Cook County residents.
“As County Board President, I will immediately provide relief at the pump for Cook County residents by a temporary suspension of the county gas tax.”
Boykin stressed, “The County received $1 billion in taxpayer money from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan. The County is flush with cash, but Preckwinkle cannot see a way to help families in Cook County who are struggling with the highest gas prices in the state of Illinois. It is time for action. I urge President Preckwinkle to act now.”
