Voters in two Fox River towns will be asked in November to decide whether they want legalized gambling in their communities even though one of them, Elgin, already has been granted the last riverboat casino license in the state.
Some people say raising the issue now, after the license has been granted by the Illinois Gaming Board, is moot.
But Susan McVey, who successfully led a petition drive to get the gaming referendum issue on the November ballot in West Dundee, disagrees.
“Who knows what the Illinois legislature may do in the future?” she said Thursday. “Who knows if they may grant more licenses?”
Barbara Donica, a spokeswoman for Citizens for Responsible Government in Elgin, agreed. By signing petitions, some 4,300 residents in that city of 71,000 said they wanted to vote on the issue.
“The democratic process needs to take place. Some say it’s a done deal, but it’s not,” Donica said.
“The license granted was a license of suitability,” she said. “They still must get permits to dredge the river. The Army Corps of Engineers hasn’t issued the permits yet.”
Elgin Mayor George Van De Voorde believes the decision has been made already, noting that the City Council voted 4-3 in 1992 to contract with a developer, Nevada Landing of Jean, Nev. “A referendum is merely advisory,” he said. “I suggest you can’t run a city by referendum (because) it’s only a minority of people speaking.
“I believe we live in a democratic republic, where we elect people to represent us,” the mayor said.
Thursday was the deadline for getting referendum issues on the Nov. 2 ballot. As referendums go, the issue over gambling may be the most emotional as northwest suburban voters prepare to go to the polls this fall to decide bond issues, annexations, library expansions and home rule questions.
Carpentersville, another northern Kane County town along the Fox River, wants home rule so that it can raise local sales taxes another half percent.
The additional tax, already in effect in neighboring West Dundee, would generate an additional $700,000 for the village coffers, according to Village Manager Curt Carver. The money could be used to expand several needed programs, such as crime prevention, and provide funding for sidewalk repair and sewer and water projects.
In northwest Cook County, Mt. Prospect Elementary District 57 voters will be asked again to approve a $13.5 million bond issue for the construction of two new schools, while Park Ridge voters will be asked whether an unincorporated subdivision of 300 homes known as Park Ridge Manor should be annexed to the city.
In Buffalo Grove, residents will decide whether they should raise taxes for Park District recreational programs. And in Buffalo Grove and neighboring Wheeling, voters will be asked if the Indian Trails Library District should operate remote library facilities.
District 57 Supt. Thomas Many said a similar bond proposal lost by only 113 votes last April. He believes the referendum proposal will pass this time around.
“Before, people felt they needed more specific information about costs and wanted to see building designs,” Many said.
“We’ve had four public forums. We’ve gone through the preliminary design stage, and the designs have been shown to the public over the last two weeks. We also have given them a line-by-line breakdown of costs. The feedback is supportive.”
He said original estimates showed that the bond issue would raise an average homeowner’s property tax about $100. “We haven’t calculated the taxes this time yet, but we don’t expect it to change much,” Many said.
He said district voters really are choosing whether they wish to spend $13.5 million for two new school buildings in place of three old buildings that need renovations. The remodeling costs would total the same, Many said. And by replacing three buildings with two, the district would save about $400,000 in operating costs each year.
“It’s a fairly logical investment for the future,” he said.
Elsewhere, there are 13 separate referendums in McHenry County in November. Among them:
– The Huntley Fire Protection District wants to increase the number of trustees to five from three and to elect them rather than appoint them.
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– Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 wants to issue building bonds totaling $12.4 million and to increase the education fund tax rate to 2.875 percent of assessed valuation from 2.475 percent.
– Spring Grove Elementary District 11 wants to increase the education fund tax rate to 2.20 percent from 2.08 percent.
– Richmond-Burton High School District 157 wants to increase its education fund tax rate to 1.87 percent from 1.60 percent.
– Alden-Hebron Consolidated District 19 is seeking to increase its education fund tax rate to 3.38 percent from 2.40 percent and to increase its building fund tax rate to .625 percent from .525 percent.
– Richmond Elementary District 13 wants to issue building bonds totaling $1,975,000.
– Prairie Grove Elementary District 46 seeks to increase the education fund tax rate to 2 percent from 1.625 percent.
– Woodstock Unit District 200 wants to issue building bonds totaling $10,325,000; to increase the education fund tax rate to 3.45 percent from 2.99 percent; and to increase the building fund tax rate to .55 percent from .50 percent.