Wauconda prepares for November referendum

The Wauconda village board has approved a list of $836,000 in cost-cuts and $745,000 in revenue-generating measures should a Nov. 2 referendum fail.

The ballot will ask voters about annexing the village to the Wauconda Fire Protection District. Wauconda spends about $2 million from the village budget to contract for services from the fire district, and voter approval would shift the cost directly to village taxpayers.

The property tax bill for the owner of a $200,000 home would rise by about $269 in the first year. To offset the increase, village officials plan to cut the local utility tax in half, saving the typical family about $110 a year.

Without voter approval of the referendum, the village needs to come up with at least $1.58 million through other means.

The list approved Tuesday would be implemented if the referendum fails, and includes reductions in public safety, administration and public works department costs. It also includes instituting a $35 vehicle sticker fee, contracting for police radio dispatch services, eliminating mosquito abatement and increasing ambulance transport fees.

Village officials and citizen supporters are conducting a series of more than a dozen meetings with homeowners groups and community organizations this month, as well as a town-hall meeting for all residents at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Wauconda High School.

The village newsletter, expected to be delivered to homes within a week, will also contain information about the referendum.