During its third attempt on the ballot, it appears an Oswego Fire Protection District tax hike was defeated by a wider margin in Tuesday’s election than it was in June.
“We are obviously disappointed in the results,” said Oswego Fire Chief John Cornish. “We have tried to get out the message that we need to replace aging apparatus, replace outdated equipment, attract and retain qualified people and add a fourth full-time ambulance. In this case the voters have spoken.”
District officials said they were seeking the tax hike in response to a growing demand for services in the area.
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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.
In Kendall County, the “no” votes were 53.22% and the “yes” votes were 46.78% on the tax hike measure, according to unofficial final totals. In Will County, where only 61 votes were cast in the referendum, the unofficial totals show the “no” votes were 63.93% and the “yes” votes were 36.07%.
“There are a myriad of reasons why voters vote the way they do,” Cornish said. “Each individual has their own thoughts and reasons for their decisions.”
If approved, the referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot would have increased the average homeowner’s fire tax by about $99 annually, based on a home value of $300,000.
The measure was defeated by a single vote in the June primary election, so the Oswego Fire Protection District’s five-member board decided to put it on the ballot again in November.
Voters also rejected a tax hike for the district that was on the ballot on April 6, 2021.
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.
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.
Cornish said “the district will take some time to evaluate the results” of the referendum.
“At the end of the day, we will continue to do what we do best and that is serve the community,” he said. “We will make do with what we have, and try to maintain our level of services.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.