Voters across Lake County will have the opportunity to decide whether people shopping in the county will pay an additional 1% in sales tax at the cash register to benefit public schools for specific purposes.
The sales tax referendum will be one of nine questions appearing on the Nov. 3 general election ballot and the only one impacting voters across all of Lake County.
Along with the sales tax referendum, voters in the Vernon Area Public Library District will decide whether to spend $39.5 million to improve the library, and Lake Zurich voters will determine if $20.3 million will be spent to build and equip a new fire station.
Tax increases will be before voters in Newport and Antioch townships as well as the Fox Lake Fire Protection District. Highland Park voters will determine whether the mayor and City Council members should have term limits.
In Round Lake and Wauconda, voters will decide whether they will continue to elect the village clerk or allow the village president to appoint someone to the position.
Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said it is important for voters to cast ballots for every office and proposition on the ballot. Information on candidates and referendums is available to help people make their choice.
“Every race on the ballot matters, whether voting for governor or a referendum to decide if a municipal clerk should be elected or appointed,” Vega said.
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Michael Karner, the regional superintendent of schools for Lake County, said he received resolutions from public school districts representing 60% of students enrolled in the county’s public schools. His function is ministerial, following state law.
If approved by the voters, the sales tax money can only be used for “school facility purposes, school resource officers and mental health professionals,” according to information on the County Clerk’s Office website.
Items that are exempt from statewide sales taxes, like food, are not included in the 1% in the sales tax for education should the referendum pass. Elizabeth Hennessy, a bond advisor with Raymond James, said in April she anticipates approximately $122 million a year will be generated for schools.
Michael Rodriguez, the president of the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education, said the added revenue for things like capital improvements will be helpful to a district with a number of aging buildings.
“A lot of our buildings need major upgrades,” Rodriguez said. “It is good to have an additional source of revenue for the school district.”
Karner said the money will be allocated on a pro-rated basis based on the number of students in each school district. Of the current 117,037 students attending public schools, 13,640 students are in District 60, according to the Illinois State Board of Education, making it the largest in the county. It could expect to receive $14 million.
When District 60 approved a resolution directing Karner to place the referendum on the ballot, it also approved a second piece of legislation enabling it to abate property tax revenue by the amount of sales tax received, easing the burden on homeowners.
Voters living within the boundaries of the Vernon Area Public Library District are being asked to vote on a $39.5 million ballot question to remodel the existing building and build an addition to add a variety of features, according to the County Clerk’s Office website.
Lake Zurich voters will decide whether to spend $20.3 million to allow the village to sell bonds to build and equip a new fire station to replace the existing Fire Station 1.
Antioch Township is asking its voters to increase the property tax rate above the amount limited under state law by more than $500,000. If approved, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay approximately $41 more per year.
Fox Lake Fire Protection District voters will determine if they will increase property taxes beyond the state-imposed limit by $782,000. If allowed, the owner of a $100,000 home will pay an additional $20 per year.
Voters living within the boundaries of the Newport Township Fire Protection District are being asked to decide whether to allow a tax hike of $765,000 over the limit allowed by the state. If approved, it will raise property taxes on the owner of a $100,000 house by $84.
Highland Park voters have the opportunity to decide whether the city’s mayor or members of the City Council will be limited to two terms in office, starting with those elected in the 2027 municipal election.