Gurnee mayor: Tax hike 'is bad business'

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik wants Woodland Elementary District's elected board to reconsider its support for a 1 percentage point hike in the county sales tax to help finance construction expenses at all area schools.

Kovarik said she's concerned shoppers would flee Gurnee for Wisconsin if Lake County's 6.5 percent sales tax becomes too steep. She also said Gurnee's status as a regional shopping area shouldn't benefit school districts not serving the village.

"This is bad business," Kovarik said. "This is definitely a threat to the village of Gurnee's revenue stream."

Kovarik sent a letter to Gurnee-based Woodland District 50 board members Thursday. It expressed disappointment with their recent vote in favor of pursuing a higher county sales tax.

Woodland board President Bruce Bohren said he's willing to discuss at a meeting Wednesday night whether to take back support for putting the sales tax question to voters in November. He said he would review Kovarik's letter.

Under a new state law, school boards representing at least 51 percent of the student population of a county are allowed to pass resolutions to put the sales tax referendum measure on the ballot. Local county board members can put the tax hike to a vote on their own or at the request of schools.

Sales tax money would help pay for school renovations, new buildings, architects, land acquisition and other construction-related expenses across Lake County. The cash also could go toward paying off debt from previous building projects.

Board members at Woodland, Waukegan Unit District 60 and Millburn Elementary District 24 have passed resolutions supporting a sales tax increase referendum in November.

At minimum, it would take backing from the 11 largest of Lake County's 45 school districts to put the question on the ballot. Woodland's 7,000 students place it in the upper end for enrollment.

In her letter to the Woodland board, Kovarik said residents must endure more than 25 million visitors annually because of the village's decision to embrace Gurnee Mills and other development. She said Gurnee deserves to keep the financial benefits.

"For the Woodland school board to now say that Gurnee will be the commercial powerhouse so the other communities can remain residential, but (we) will share our revenues with them, is outrageous," Kovarik wrote.

Lake County school districts would receive $550 per student annually if the 1 percentage point sales tax boost were to gain voter approval. Woodland would get about $3.85 million.