Normally, when you mention a tax increase to me, I’ll ask you what are your alternatives, and what other routes are you taking to leverage the revenue coming into your community.

That’s exactly what Oshkosh City Council is doing with the passage of a resolution for a sales tax increase that passed this week (story HERE). The alternative would be to raise property taxes or cut back on services. Residents would certainly lose more with those alternatives.

The truth is that Oshkosh appears to be the only one in its area that’s bringing any meat to the potluck. And it’s time for the others to throw in and do better than simply bringing the flat soda.

To phrase it better, Oshkosh has a responsibility to ensure that everyone doing business or visiting the area is doing their part to keep the region alive, and to support the people who are making it all possible.

And some at Winnebago County are grumbling that Oshkosh didn’t ask them for permission. They’re feeling inadequate because they weren’t paying close enough attention and now “the kids are going to the step parents to help them with their homework” instead. It doesn’t help that they’re only one of two counties not already implementing this sales tax rate.

Friends, I’ve seen bad sales tax increases and I’ve played a part in killing a few. This is not luxury. It’s necessity.

And it allows, Oshkosh to take care of itself by simply making sure that everyone that’s taking from them is contributing back to making it a better place to live.