Woodland District 50 property tax hike request losing

Voters are rejecting Woodland Elementary District 50's request to enact a higher property tax cap for one year to raise money for air conditioning at a primary school building and other projects.

With all 35 precincts reporting, unofficial results show 1,824 votes against and 1,358 in favor. Still to be counted are vote by mail and early votes.

Leading up to Tuesday's vote, proponents of the District 50 ballot measure said the need is genuine for the proposed air conditioning, improved student technology and districtwide capital improvement projects. However, the Citizens for Responsible Government watchdog group in Gurnee contended the request was unnecessary and tried to get voters to reject it.

District 50 wants to enact a temporary, one-year tax cap of 5 percent. The recently announced Consumer Price Index would set the cap at 0.8 percent for the 2015 levy.

Passage of the measure means there would be an additional $57 for every $100,000 of market value on property owners' 2016 tax bills. An owner of a $300,000 home would pay an additional $171.

Money from the increased tax collection would go into the district's operations fund to pay for air conditioning at Woodland Primary School in unincorporated Gages Lake. Installation would start in summer 2016.

On a districtwide level, the extra cash also would fund enhanced classroom technology and capital improvements, such as security enhancements and building repairs.

In a letter to parents, Woodland officials say air quality is an issue for the roughly 3,500 pupils who attend the schools that lack air conditioning. Indoor temperatures topped 85 degrees on hot days in those buildings, according to District 50.