Gambling, water improvements on ballots in Cook County
Leaders in three Northwest suburban communities are seeking input from voters on gambling, funding for water improvements and the size of government in Tuesday's election.
Palatine officials want to know how residents feel about video gambling in local bars and restaurants; the Tower Lakes village board is asking voters how they want to pay for water system improvements; and the Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District wants to make its governing board smaller, but needs voter approval to do it.
Palatine
Palatine has barred its businesses from participating in the state's video gambling program, but business owners like Joel Schnell of the Donkey Inn on Plum Grove Road have said the gambling machines could help their bottom line.
Video gambling could "double our income, possibly triple our income, and although it goes mostly to the owners, it does bring a little back to the community," Schnell told village council members earlier this year.
Under state law, counties and towns that allow video gambling receive 5 percent of each machine's revenue above what's paid out. The state receives 25 percent, with the rest to be evenly split between establishment owners and the terminal operators.
The referendum is not binding, but council members said if the public is in favor of it they will seriously consider allowing gambling.
Tower Lakes
Tower Lakes voters will also be asked an advisory question concerning improvements to the town's water system, something that Village President Kathleen Leitner said is going to happen one way or the other.
"This is the last major improvement necessary," Leitner said. "Hopefully, we won't need to do any major work for decades to come."
The work will include replacing 80- to 90-year-old water mains and laying some new pipe.
The question to voters is if they would rather the village borrow money, complete the work next summer and pay back the loan back over 20 years; or raise water rates - about $400 per family per year - and have the improvements done in the future when enough revenue from the rate hike had been saved.
Elk Grove Rural Fire
Voters within the one-square-mile of the Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District will be asked if they want to reduce the seven-member board to five members.
The move would save an estimated $6,000, its backers say.
The board is hoping the third time will be the charm. The same measure failed twice before - first by a paltry 14-12 vote, then last fall by a vote of 167-143.