Suburban voters approve tax hikes despite contrary political climate

When Tuesday's election results indicated candidates who'd campaigned on anti-tax and anti-debt platforms were being swept into office by American voters, many believed that prevailing sentiment would doom the bevy of suburban tax hike requests as well.

But it didn't really work out that way.

At least 10 suburban ballot questions that involved increasing property taxes or extending taxing powers were approved by many of the same voters who elected candidates campaigning on easing their tax burdens.

“There are two variables I believe are at work here,” said Ed Leman, Superintendent of West Chicago Elementary District 33, where voters approved a $39 million borrowing plan Tuesday. “The first one is that voters felt the rationale for going to referendum had validity. The second is a theory I have that there is a huge amount of animosity toward the state and federal public debt because in both cases it's been pretty irresponsible debt. Local public debt has been much more responsible.”

District 33 voters approved a borrowing plan that calls for the district to extend its current taxing powers to pay for an addition to the middle school that will eventually house the district's sixth-graders. It was the second time they had pursued the request.

But voters Tuesday approved plenty of first-time requests as well. Wauconda voters OK'd a property tax increase to pay for fire service. On average, property owners will be paying about $150 more a year on their tax bills, said Wauconda Village Administrator Dan Quick. It was the first time voters had been presented with the request, but Quick said supporters were able to get the message out to the community. In 2008, voters also approved a $7 million tax hike for road improvements on the question's first go-round.

“Obviously we were nervous because of the political climate and the economy,” Quick said. “We didn't know what to expect.”

The Wauconda vote was almost 3-to-1 in favor of the tax increase.

Sales tax hikes were approved in Deer Park and Lake Zurich. Prospect Heights voters approved borrowing $15 million for road improvements. Cary Elementary District 26 voters approved a $15 million loan to cover operational costs. Voters in the Kishwaukee Community College district approved borrowing $52.6 million for renovations, repairs and construction on campus while College of DuPage voters approved a $168 million tax extension for similar campus improvements.

“People just don't understand what they're voting for,” said Jim Tobin, president of the National Taxpayers Union of Illinois. “They support these things because they think the money is being spent on a worthy cause and not greedy politicians. They are taught in public schools they should be proud to support improvements to their schools.”

Tobin argues that because voters' property taxes would be reduced in cases like College of DuPage and West Chicago District 33 without these ballot questions, the requests are actually tax increases.

“DuPage County is the worst,” he said. “They lied their way to victory. These so-called fiscal conservatives in DuPage are actually worse than the machine politicians in Chicago who openly push for tax increases.”

Tobin said there is “no way” the owners of a $300,000 house in the COD district will maintain the $208 they currently pay to the college for the life of the new debt being incurred. He said the district will have to adjust its tax rate to match property assessment swings.

Meanwhile, Bartlett Park District voters approved an $18 million borrowing plan to purchase the Villa Olivia Country Club and make renovations there and at the district's aquatic center. More than 11,000 votes were cast and the measure passed by less than 600 votes.

Park board member Steve Eckelberry said he was never worried about the proposal, despite the election results he was seeing Tuesday.

“I honestly can't say I was surprised,” he said. “This was about preserving open space, and voters believed our message. We did a lot of educating, and I think if the reasons make sense, then people are smart enough to understand them. I think voters understood this does help the whole community.”