Cudahy : Utilities Tax, Landlord Fee Will Take Effect in August

The City Council has given final approval to a 4% tax on utilities and a special tax on apartment units.

Beginning in August, Cudahy residents will pay an extra 4% on their telephone, natural gas, water, electricity and trash bills, and landlords will pay an annual levy of $30 per apartment unit.

Council members voted to impose the taxes to balance the city budget after giving up hope that they would ever see revenues from the Silver Saddle Casino. The half-built card club has been plagued by financial troubles for most of the last nine years and has never opened for business. For the last six years, the council has budgeted $400,000 to $600,000 a year in anticipated casino revenues to balance the budget. Every year, the casino failed to open and the city was left with a deficit. The new taxes will generate about $500,000 a year in revenue.