Election 2024: ‘Yes’ winning McHenry County Conservation District referendum

McHenry County voters appear to have given approval for the McHenry County Conservation District to raise its tax cap.

The “yes” side is up 50.28 to 49.72%, and a margin of about 850 votes. More than 154,000 people voted in the referendum, according to the McHenry County Clerk’s unofficial results.

Before votes were added to the tally Tuesday, the “no” side held a narrow lead. Mail ballots had to have been postmarked by Nov. 5 but arrive to the clerk’s office by Tuesday to count, and the last outstanding vote by mail and provisional votes were added to the results Tuesday afternoon.

After the polls had closed in early November, conservation district officials were cautiously optimistic the measure would pass. The additional funds voters approved will go to improve access to facilities and protect water quality and wildlife habitats, according to the conservation district website.

With the referendum’s apparent passage, a homeowner with a property worth $300,000 can expect to pay $209 in taxes to the conservation district next year and $115 in 2026. If the referendum had failed, the homeowner would have paid $88 in 2026. The conservation district said before the election its share of property taxes would decrease regardless of the referendum’s passage due to retiring debts. The conservation district levy will increase by about $3 million.

The conservation district was the only item that flipped after Tuesday’s votes were added.

In McHenry County Board District 2, Democratic challenger John “Jack” Collins expanded his lead over Republican incumbent John Reinert. Collins is up by about 400 votes. Reinert and two other incumbents lost their bids for reelection, giving the Republican Party a 15-3 supermajority on the county board.