Emanuel's latest possible tax hike: 911 phone fees

In the final moments of lawmakers' spring session Wednesday night in Springfield, Mayor Rahm Emanuel scored a political win that could serve as another pocketbook loss for Chicago taxpayers.

As part of a broader telecommunications bill, Emanuel won legislative approval for City Hall to raise the tax on city phone lines by 28 percent — an extra $1.10 per month for every landline and cellphone billed to a city address.

City spokeswoman Molly Poppe said that if Emanuel were to move forward and pursue the tax hike, he would use it for "needed modernizations and operations at our 911 center." Poppe did not elaborate on the specific needs, but Emanuel has pushed to upgrade the city's 911 dispatch system so it can receive text messages, photos and videos.

If approved by aldermen, the tax could generate as much as $27 million per year for the city, based on its previous returns. If the city were to spend the money on improving the 911 service, that would free up extra money elsewhere that the city planned to spend on the 911 center.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rahm-emanuel-phone-fee-increase-met-0602-20170601-story.html