After a referendum question concerning a tax hike was defeated by a single vote in June, the Oswego Fire Protection District has decided to put the measure on the ballot again in November.
The district’s five-member board voted Monday on going back to the voters with the tax increase question.
District officials said they are seeking the tax hike in response to a growing demand for services in the area.
The district is mostly in Kendall County, with a small part in Will County. Kendall County is the agency of record between the two counties for the referendum.
The last election was on June 28 and the counties had to wait for two weeks for mail-in ballots to come in to arrive at the final unofficial totals for the referendum. The results then had to be certified by the state as well, election officials said.
According to totals in both counties, the “yes” votes came to 4,149 and the “no” votes came to 4,150.
The Kendall County clerk conducted a discovery recount of the results on Aug. 1.
“We found all of the votes matched perfectly. We did not find any discrepancy whatsoever,” Oswego Fire Protection District Chief John Cornish told The Beacon-News.
“We are not seeking any legal action to do anything further. All of the numbers were spot on,” Cornish said.
The fire district’s trustees decided to accept the results and bring the issue to voters for a third time in the fall.
“The results were so close. It wasn’t as though the referendum lost by 500 votes. A loss by one vote is so close,” Cornish said.
He said some people have expressed regret about not going to the polls to vote on the measure in June.
“If anyone believes that your vote does not count, this particular election proves otherwise. Every single vote does count,” Cornish said.
Prior to the most recent outcome, voters rejected a tax hike for the district that was on the ballot on April 6, 2021.
If approved, the referendum would increase the average homeowner’s fire tax by about $99 annually, based on a home value of $300,000.
“It’s such an important topic for the community,” Cornish said of the services the district provides to residents.
The Oswego Fire Protection District protects more than 70,000 residents compared to the approximately 27,000 residents it served in 2002, district officials said.
It has been 20 years since the voters approved additional funding for the department, according to officials.
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The growth of the community and the subsequent demand for services, as well as the increased price of equipment and escalating operating costs, have outpaced current funding, officials said.
“It was disheartening when the referendum did not pass the second time and the first time. We are hopeful a high voter turnout in November will work in our favor to help us maintain the level of service that we provide,” Cornish said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.