Dist. 118 referendum petition challenged
Two Wauconda residents are challenging signatures on a petition filed in an attempt to force a referendum vote on Wauconda Unit District 118's decision to sell $16.9 million in cash bonds.
Stephan Diol and Jonathan Feryance filed the objection Oct. 16 that cited invalid signatures - mostly from unregistered voters - as the main reason for the objection, District 118 officials said.
Diol and Feryance were not available for comment.
There are 104 unregistered voter signatures in the 430-page complaint, District 118 Business Manager Bill Harkin said. Other signatures being questioned involved nondistrict residents and duplicates.
The next step is a public hearing Thursday at 7 p.m. in the east cafeteria at Wauconda High School.
"We've never gone down this path before," Harkin said. "It's new to (the district)."
Village Trustee Mary Schorr, who is part of the group of parents that collected petition signatures, said she disagrees with the objection.
"I think it's sad that somebody just couldn't let it go to vote," she said. "All we want to do is vote."
Schorr and other District 118 parents started the petition drive to force a Feb. 2, 2010 referendum vote following the district's Sept. 3 decision to borrow money by selling $16.9 million in cash bonds to cover payroll and offset delays in state funding.
They collected 1,576 signatures - 33 more than the minimum - and submitted the petition to district officials Oct. 8.
Schorr said she was accused in the objection of "shoving petitions" in people's faces. She denies the claim and called it a "slap in the face".
The public hearing will be in front of three school board members who make up the district electoral board - Board President John Armstrong, Board Secretary Brian Swanson and longest-standing board member Deby Dato, Superintendent Dan Coles said.
Depending on the hearing outcome, Schorr and other parents can appeal the board's decision to Lake County court, where the case would be heard by a judge.
The district didn't need residents to approve the borrowing in a referendum, but state law allows a ballot question to be forced if 10 percent of registered voters signed the petition within 30 days of the Sept. 3 meeting.