Chicago suburbs warn ComEd: It’s time to pay up on local utility taxes

Already caught up in a high-profile federal bribery scheme, Commonwealth Edison is embroiled in an escalating fight with dozens of cash-squeezed Chicago suburbs that are demanding the power company deliver millions of dollars in utility taxes the communities say they are owed.

“The longer that it keeps going, the more revenue that we’re out,” said Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez.

The crux of the dispute stems from how utility taxes are collected. Towns are allowed to levy their own taxes on utilities such as phones and electricity. Those local charges show up on consumers’ monthly bills, and ComEd collects the tax and distributes the money to the individual towns…Please click here to read Ray Long’s story in the Tribune/Daily Southtown.