Voters support College of DuPage tax question

College of DuPage could be growing soon after voters approved a $168 million loan request Tuesday.

With all but four of 831 precincts reporting, unofficial results show 55 percent of the voters favor the college's request to extend its current taxing powers on property owners.

Supporters sold the ballot question as a “no-tax-rate-increase” request because the $168 million building loan would maintain the college's current taxing levels as other debt is comes off the books.

If the question had failed, though, it would have resulted in the owner of $300,000 home having his tax bill reduced by about $35 annually.

College officials want the money to pay for renovations to some existing buildings that are more than 25 years old. The physical education building, the McAninch Arts Center and the Student Resource Center are all in line for facelifts. College officials said they spend upward of $1,000 a month on roof repairs to the arts center and P.E. building.

Administrators and board members also plan to fund new construction as well. Plans call for completion of the $200 million Homeland Security Education Center and construction of a massive parking deck to the south of the Berg Instructional Center, which is currently undergoing a renovation with funds from a 2002 voter-approved tax increase. The college would like to add a conference center to the parking structure as well.

The 2002 tax hike also allowed the college to construct three new buildings: The Health and Science Center, the Culinary & Hospitality Center and the Technical Education Center. Other work around the campus was performed with the $183 million generated in that campaign.

The college's district is made up of voters mainly from DuPage County, but slivers of Cook and Will counties also are included.