Winfield residents face 3 questions Tuesday
Winfield-area voters are being asked to consider three ballot questions during next Tuesday's primary, including two that could affect their pocketbooks.
Both the Winfield Fire Protection District and Winfield Township again are pitching plans that would increase property taxes.
The fire district is seeking permission from voters to lift the tax cap for each of the next four years to allow tax increases of up to 12.5 percent per year.
The tax cap limits increases to 5 percent a year or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.
If the fire district's ballot measure is approved, the owner of a $300,000 house would see an increase of about $24 in the first year, officials estimate. By the fourth year, that homeowner will be paying $293 more in taxes to the district.
However, three previous attempts to sell voters on the proposal have failed.
As the district makes its fourth consecutive attempt, officials say, the agency is using reserves to cover a $212,000 shortfall this year's budget. They expect a similar deficit next year.
"The last time we asked voters for a tax increase, it failed by only 10 votes," Deputy Fire Chief Bryan Lewis said. "I think voters are getting it. We aren't asking for anything excessive.
"We haven't had a successful referendum since 1988, and we can't keep running on that kind of budget," Lewis added, noting that the fire district's call volume has tripled during that time.
But there are residents in the community opposed to the district's repeat requests.
Stan Zegel, a former Winfield trustee who publishes a weekly publication on village affairs, has published several stories and editorials critical of the district's request.
He's also helped organize an effort to place a separate question on Tuesday's ballot. The measure asks voters if they want fire district trustees to be elected by the public.
Right now, DuPage County leaders appoint the fire board members.
"In general, we think the fire trustees are simply not paying attention," Zegel said. "They're not to be trusted with any money they have."
In addition to the two fire district referendums, Winfield Township will try again to ask voters for more money to fix roads.
The township is seeking a 2-cent tax rate increase per $100 of equalized assessed valuation. If approved, the owner of a $300,000 house would pay $20 more to the township next year, officials estimate.
If approved, the township's $1 million road repair budget would increase by an additional $200,000 a year.
The measure has failed six times at the polls. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the same request in April 2007, April 2006 and November 2006, as well as three requests during the late 1990s.
Joe Jedlovec, township highway commissioner, said his department schedules maintenance projects on its 48 miles of roads every 17 years. If the referendum fails again, that cycle could increase to 20 years.
"This is a no-brainer referendum," Jedlovec said. "We're not asking for millions. It's the best bang for your buck."