Robo calls surprise Dist. 76 residents
A one-day burst of anonymous automated calls asking residents in Diamond Lake District 76 to vote against a proposed tax hike have school leaders on the defensive.
Officials at the Mundelein-based district were startled Wednesday after receiving reports of the calls, which featured what sounded like an older woman telling residents their tax bills would increase by $146 or more if they support the ballot measure.
"Everybody's aggravated because we've been trying to educate people on something that is so complicated," said Elise Hauptman, district public relations coordinator. "People started calling me because they're friends or neighbors. It got to the point it was comical."
Caller IDs showed five different numbers for the automated calls but all were unlisted, Hauptman said.
Libertyville businessman and political activist Jack L. Martin, who has in the past used automated calls to oppose various measures, said he allowed someone to use his equipment but was not behind the effort.
"They should have been expecting it. There's always opposition," he said Friday. He declined to name the group or individual who made the calls but said more are planned before the Nov. 4 election.
The calls prompted immediate damage control, including a note to residents from Superintendent Roger Prosise.
"If the referendum passes, the tax rate will stay the same," the message reads in part.
"The referendum is asking for an increase to the Education Fund; though at the same time the district will reduce taxes used for bond payments by the same amount ... the net is a zero tax increase," Prosise wrote.
A volunteer parent referendum committee has been holding information sessions to explain what the district is asking for. A final coffee, open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, at a private home at 19683 W. Martin Pierre Dr., Mundelein.
The effort has been complicated because only the tax increase portion appears in the ballot language. Based on that information, the rate change would raise 2008 tax bills, collected next year, by $294 for the owner of a home with a market value of $200,000.
What isn't on the ballot is the district's intent to lower the tax rate a corresponding amount as bonds are retired.
If the referendum is defeated, the district would restructure the bond debt so the rate would remain the same, meaning tax bills would not drop. The difference in that scenario is that cuts - including the elimination of summer school programs, extracurricular activities and staff - would be made, according to district literature.
The tax "swap" would raise about $1.4 million. The proceeds would be used to offset an education fund deficit, the first since 1996.
The deficit arose as programs and staff were added to boost academic improvement. The district has been using budget surpluses to fund those programs but says the deficit is no longer sustainable. Expenses have increased in part because of a three-year agreement with teachers that went into effect this year.