Voters to decide school, mental health, sales tax issues

From a $140.3 million school construction plan in far Western Kane County to a fire protection district levy, voters will weigh in on various issues during the upcoming election.

Here’s a look at some of those binding ballot questions that taxpayers throughout the suburbs will decide on April 1.

Kaneland District 302

Just down the hall from a pair of 67-year-old heating and hot-water boilers is Kaneland High School history teacher Scott Parillo’s classroom.

Several walls are lined with bags of balls, bins of uniforms and other stuff for the soccer teams he coaches. Parillo says there is not enough room in the cage that his teams are assigned in the school’s main gym.

Kaneland Unit District 302 voters are being asked to let the district borrow $140.3 million for repairs, renovations and construction throughout the district, including adding a field house to the high school and converting one of its gymnasiums into classroom space. Those boilers would likely be replaced.

The district says it can do this without increasing the property tax rate levied for debt and interest by restructuring its current debt, pushing the payments out further. The estimated cost of doing that is $22 million.

Kane County sales tax

Voters in Kane County are deciding whether to institute a sales tax, to be used for public safety expenses. It would mean paying 7.5 cents for every $10 spent on general merchandise. It would not apply to groceries, medical supplies or titled vehicles such as cars, boats and snowmobiles. County officials expect it would raise about $51 million and would be used for public safety, public facilities, mental health, substance abuse and transportation expenses.

Pingree Grove library proposal

The Ella Johnson Memorial Public Library District, based in Hampshire, is seeking permission from voters to borrow $15 million to build a library in Pingree Grove. It’s a smaller ask than the district made in November when voters rejected a $30 million plan to build twin libraries in Pingree Grove and Hampshire.

Campton Township open space, cemetery work

In Kane County, residents of Campton Township will decide whether to spend more money to preserve and maintain open space. The township is asking permission to borrow $17.2 million to do so. According to township officials, the owner of a $400,000 property would pay another $286 the first year.

The township has purchased about 1,461 acres and obtained conservation easements on another 189 acres since residents approved the first open-space plan in 2001. Officials said about $5.4 million would be used to buy more land, bringing the total to about 2,000 acres. The rest would be spent on staffing, maintenance and improvements.

Campton Township voters also are being asked to increase the property tax for the Campton Township Cemetery Association. It has four cemeteries. Officials are asking to increase the rate to $.0073 per $100 equalized valuation, or about $28 more annually, for a $400,000 property. The amount of tax revenue collected would go from about $25,000 a year to $67,000.

Kaneville Fire District

The Kaneville Fire Protection District is seeking a 56% increase in its operations property tax levy rate. If approved, the annual levy would increase from $332,303 total to $520,640 a year. The owner of a $300,000 property would pay about $288 more a year.

• Daily Herald staff writers Chuck Keeshan, Madhu Krishnamurthy and Katlyn Smith contributed to this report.

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