Lake County voters favor spending money for improving forest preserves, schools

Lake County voters Tuesday affirmed their love of the forest preserve system and looked poised to favor extensive improvements at Mundelein High School with overwhelming support for separate tax hike requests.

The ballot measures asked voters whether to allow the Lake County Forest Preserve District to raise $155 million to “invest in nature” and $149.5 million for various upgrades in Mundelein High School District 120.

Voter education campaigns featured extensive outreach through a variety of means as well as mailers and in-person information sessions. Forest preserve officials had been optimistic, given public surveys but the District 120 question was considered a much tougher sell.

The forest preserve question — the first since 2008 — was well on its way to approval with 181,592 votes in favor and 91,380 votes against in unofficial tallies late Tuesday. The District 120 question — a revised version of the one defeated in April 2023 — was much closer although appeared to be on a successful track. The vote was 10,438 in favor and 8,109 against, unofficial totals show.

Also in the mix, Barrington Area Unit District 220, which extends into Cook, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties, is seeking a $64 million tax hike to help build a new high school auditorium, fund security improvements across the district and enhance the science, math and arts curriculum. If approved, owners of a $500,000 home would see an increase of about $235 a year in District 220’s portion of property tax bills.

As of late. Tuesday, the District 220 measure was leading with 12,255 votes in favor and 10,187 votes against across the four counties, according to unofficial totals.

In Lake County, the District 220 question was ahead with 5,843 votes for and 4,911 against.

Money for improvements will be raised by issuing bonds and a tax hike to cover the cost, although amounts for individual taxpayers vary widely.

For the forest preserves, which represent only 1.87% of property taxes collected in Lake County, the owner of a home valued at $300,000 will pay an additional $33 per year. In District 120, that same homeowner will pay an additional $414 per year.

Besides having high usage and approval ratings countywide, the forest district noted it has been doing more with less for many years and that the average homeowner paid less in 2024 (about $157) than in 2008 (about $187).

History also was on its side. The 2008 referendum to borrow $185 million was overwhelmingly approved with two-thirds in favor but those funds have all been spent or allocated.

Much of those proceeds were used to acquire 4,300 acres of property. Besides acquiring land and making other improvements, the current plan spreads the wealth to include building trail connections, redeveloping or opening preserves and restoring wetlands, prairies, savannas and forests to reduce flooding.

In District 120, the stage now is set for a variety of improvements to Mundelein High School, which was completed in 1961, and other facilities.

The district pared $25.5 million and cut 36,000 square feet of new construction from the original amount.

Improvements include replacing aging mechanical systems and facilities, adding classrooms, upgrading the kitchen and cafeteria, creating a multipurpose field house and building a competition gymnasium.

The entire cost to expand and renovate Mundelein High will be $199.5 million, but the district plans to allocate $50 million non-referendum dollars to the project.

Officials had cautioned if the measure didn’t pass, potential consequences included increasing class sizes, adding mobile classrooms, moving to split shift or half-day schedules and reducing or eliminating sports and clubs with low participation.

Meanwhile, Cary District 26 sought voter approval for the issuance of $20 million in bonds that would go toward improving school buildings. The district spans Lake and McHenry counties.

That measure was headed for approval with 7,038 votes for and 4,832 votes against, according to unofficial tallies in Lake and McHenry counties.

Officials have said they would use the extra funds to catch up on capital improvements, with an emphasis on safety, security and technology upgrades.