Voters in Tuesday’s midterm elections were asked to decide several referendums in Cook and Will counties, with voters approving six out of nine questions that would raise local taxes.
Countywide, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County sought a $40 million annual tax increase to acquire more land, restore wildlife habitats, improve trails and other facilities, expand programming and resolve a pension shortfall. If approved, taxes would increase $7.29 per year on a $100,000 home, the district said.
With more than 95% of precincts reported voters were supporting the question by a margin of 63% to 37%.
“The support of Cook County voters shows just how vital nature is to all residents and how the sound management of the forest preserves has had a huge impact on residents’ relationship with nature close to home,” Jerry Adelmann, president and CEO of Openlands, said in a statement Tuesday night.
Failed tax questions
The Frankfort Park District and Lockport Elementary District 91 each asked voters to increase limiting rates. With all precincts reporting, unofficial results showed voters rejected the questions by substantial margins.
In Lockport, Milne-Kelvin Grove Elementary District 91 Superintendent Kathleen Wilkey said the district will likely send out a survey to the community to get input explaining their vote and to gauge if the district should try again in April.
The referendum asked voters to maintain the 22-cent tax rate they are paying once a 2023 bond is paid off, Wilkey said.
“We don’t feel they had the correct information. They saw the word increase and thought their taxes would increase, and that was not our intent,” she said.
Frankfort Park District Executive Director Gina Hassett said officials will have to redirect money from the operating budget to capital improvements because there are $5 million in park improvement projects the district would like to complete.
To come up with the funds, Hassett said it is likely that district officials will have to decrease the frequency of lawn mowing and add charges to some community events.
“We don’t collect enough money. It would take years to collect the money,” Hassett said. “It doesn’t change how we operate today, but we will look at that we can redirect.”
Oak Lawn asked voters to approve a change in the village’s real estate transfer tax that the village described as a loophole that allowed at least one commercial property owner to avoid paying $250,000 in taxes. With 97% of precincts reporting, voters were rejecting the proposal by a margin of 70% to 30%.
Successful tax questions
In Will County, with 99% of precincts reporting, returns showed 52.5% of voters supporting a countywide referendum that asked whether the county should create a property tax levy to fund mental health services.
Orland Hills asked voters whether the village should allow cannabis sales and use whatever revenue was generated to reimburse property owners for a portion of the village’s share of property tax bills. With all precincts reporting, nearly 90% of voters supported the question.
University Park asked voters to decide whether the village should created a park district with a levy not to exceed $800,000 in its first fiscal year. With all precincts reporting, unofficial combined totals from Will and Cook counties showed voters approved the measure by eight votes, 798 to 790. Those numbers could change with mail-in votes still coming in.
Lemont High School District 210 asked voters for permission to increase its debt service extension to $5 million to repay principal and interest on bonds. With all precincts reporting, voters approved the measure by a margin of 54% to 46%, unofficial results showed.
The Steger Estates Fire Protection District each asked voters to increase limiting rates. With all precincts reporting, voters approved the question by a margin of 65% to 35%.
Beecher voters approved a question asking whether the village should issue nearly $4 million in general obligation bonds by a margin of 58% to 42%, unofficial results showed.
Other referendums
In Harvey, where the 2020 Census showed the population has fallen below 25,000 residents, voters were asked whether the village should cease being a home-rule community. With 94% of precincts reporting, returns showed voters wanting to continue home rule by a margin of 52.5% to 47.5%.
Voters in Lynwood strongly supported a question asking whether the village president, clerk and trustees should be limited to serving no more than four, four-year terms. With all precincts reporting, 79% of voters supported term limits.
With 96% of precincts reporting, early returns showed Thornton Township voters strongly supporting three advisory referendums. Voters were asked to decide whether a portion of Warsau Avenue near the township hall in South Holland should be renamed Frank Zuccarelli Drive to honor the late supervisor who died in January; whether Zuccarelli’s Oct. 29 birthday should be a township holiday; and whether more purple should be added to the township logo to honor Zuccarelli.
The Peotone Fire Protection District asked voters whether the district should be dissolved and consolidated with the Manhattan Fire Protection District. With 60% of precincts reporting, returns showed voters supporting the question by a margin of 56% to 44%. Voters rejected a similar question during the June 28 primary.