Whiteside County sheriff: Support public safety sales tax when going to the polls April 1

Dear voters of Whiteside County,

I am writing to you today to strongly urge your support for the upcoming public safety tax measure. As the sheriff of Whiteside County, | have witnessed firsthand the growing demands placed on our law enforcement, fire and emergency services.

This tax is essential to ensure that we can continue to provide the best possible public safety services to every resident in our county, and it will specifically fund the operation of our newly constructed county dispatch center.

With this tax, every community in Whiteside County will share in the cost of maintaining and operating the dispatch center, ensuring that no individual city is left carrying this weight alone. This is a unified approach to public safety that ensures fair and equitable contributions across our county.

Here’s how the public safety tax will benefit Whiteside County:

Sustaining the dispatch center: This tax will ensure that the dispatch center continues to operate smoothly, providing coordinated and effective emergency response services to all areas of Whiteside County, day in and day out.
Relieving local cities of financial burden: By supporting this tax, we prevent the cities and towns in our county from bearing the cost of funding the dispatch center themselves, which would be a strain on their already limited resources.
Improving emergency response: Properly funding the dispatch center will allow us to enhance response times, improve coordination, and ensure that our law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel have the critical information they need to act quickly and effectively in emergencies.

As sheriff of Whiteside County, I stand alongside the chiefs of police and fire departments across the county in endorsing this tax. We all recognize that public safety is a shared responsibility, and with this tax, we are investing in a safer future for all residents of Whiteside County.

I ask for your support in passing this important measure. Your vote will directly contribute to ensuring that our county continues to have the resources necessary to protect and serve our community, and that all cities in Whiteside County share the responsibility for maintaining the dispatch center.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Together, we can ensure that Whiteside County remains a safe and thriving place to live, work, and raise our families.

John Booker is the Whiteside County sheriff.