In an 8-4 vote on Thursday City Council approves the Beverage Container Tax.

After months of debate and hours of negotiations, AFSCME is victorious. For months, AFSCME leaders have flooded City Hall hearings declaring “4 -Cents Makes Sense”. A slogan created by the Union in order to include the Beverage Container tax in the new FY2011 budget to save over 250 city positions.

The beverage container tax proposed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake was introduced in the beginning of the legislative session but shelved in order to find other ways to increase revenue.

The bottle tax would place a 4 -cent tax on all bottled beverages excluding milk and two – liter sodas within the city limits. It would also generate over $11 million in new revenue which would prevent layoffs.

On Monday June 21, 2010 City Council members reintroduced the bill in order to fill the loophole of the $121 budget deficit. The amended bill up for a third reader in Thursday’s budget hearing was approved. As a part of the bill, Councilwoman Helen Holton offered an amendment to the bill which reduced the 4-cent tax to 2- cents.

The City Council passed dozens of revenue generation bills which represented a balanced budget that continues to preserve city services and saves city workers.

According to Executive Director Glen Middleton “It was a fight to the end; we are not just fighting for new taxes; we are fighting for the livelihoods of our working families”.

“We are thankful for the councilmen and woman for making the right decision and the members of AFSCME Local 44 for their hard work and dedication to this cause”.