Cudahy : Petition Campaign Begun Against Utility Users Tax

Two longtime Cudahy residents have launched a campaign to repeal a 3-month-old ordinance raising taxes on all utilities.

Lawrence Galvan and Charles E. Sousa last week filed notices with City Hall declaring their intention to circulate petitions calling on voters to reject the 4% tax on electricity, natural gas, water, telephones and trash collection.

The petition cites a 4-year-old national study that ranked Cudahy residents among the poorest in the country as the main reason the ordinance should be repealed. It also accuses City Council members of failing to seek out other revenues, deterring business from the city and unfairly exempting senior citizens.

The City Council in June passed the utility users tax, arguing that the alternative was to declare the city bankrupt. The tax is expected to bring in about $368,000 a year.