Healthcare group backs ECC referendum

A regional group representing nearly 150 Chicago area hospitals and health care organizations on Friday endorsed Elgin Community College's $178 million bond referendum question.

In a news release, The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council cited a growing nursing shortage for supporting the ECC proposal to expand job training for health care and public safety workers.

"Metropolitan Chicago region faces a looming nursing shortage exacerbated by the growing and aging population," MCHC President and CEO Kevin Scanlan said. "This referendum will enable ECC to positively impact the region by improving access to health care and educating more people for a future in higher-paying health careers."

The referendum question, approved by the college's board of trustees in January, seeks to fund the first portion of a $387 million plan to fully update the college by 2030.

Bonds would be sold to build a $60 million health careers center, a plan College President David Sam has called "shovel ready" if approved.

The college also would spend $26 million to expand and redesign its library and another $24 million renovate its student resource center. A new training facility for police, firefighters and emergency management technicians would be added for $15 million.

Maintenance projects, including installing a sprinkler system and energy-efficient windows, which have been deferred in recent years due to a loss in state funding, also are built in.

The request, according to college estimates, would increase taxes about 31/2 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation. For the owner of a $200,000 home, taxes would increase by approximately $23 in the first year; for the owner of a $350,000 home, it would be about $40.

Supporters of the referendum say the expansion will add more than 4,000 local jobs and build a competitive work force.