Layoff notices went out to about 300 Cook County employees on Friday. Several hundred more government employees are threatened with layoffs unless the soda tax gets by a court. The county expects $68 million to come in from the 1 cent per ounce tax on soda pop.
Collection of these essential funds has been stalled by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association lawsuit. The association says soft drink purchases will just be made out of Cook County. A hearing is scheduled for July 21st.
A gentle forecast--no matter the outcome of the hearing, tax collection or no tax collection, not a single government employee will lose a job.