Tax hike rejected in District 33

Voting to save money on tax bills instead of taking on new debt, West Chicago Elementary District 33 voters rejected a request to borrow $49 million to build an addition to the junior high school.

With all 25 precincts reporting, 1,621 rejected the request compared to 1,135 who supported it, according to unofficial totals Tuesday.

District taxpayers will see a decrease in the district's tax rate, but not for a couple years. The reduction will amount to about 25 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value, which translates to about a $200 savings each year on the tax bill of a $250,000 house.

If the proposal had been approved, taxpayers wouldn't have paid more because the district would have paid off other debt.

District officials hoped to fund the addition so they could move sixth-graders to the junior high and free up space in the elementary schools. They also wanted to implement a team-teaching concept in its new middle school.