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The polls for Tuesday’s general election have closed, which means there’s nothing left to do but the counting.
Here are three things to watch in Grundy County.
1) The Grundy County Board race for Districts 1 and 3
Caroline Cummings is the lone Democrat running in the race for district one that features two incumbents, Nathanael Greene and Jerald White and another newcomer, Republican Matt Cosenza. The Grundy County Board currently has one Democrat seated in Ann Gill, who has been on the board since 2005. Cummings isn’t alone in trying to increase that number:
Democrat Jim Giaudrone takes on three incumbents seeking to retain their seats in Republicans Harold Vota, Caleb Counterman and James Riley. There are even more changes to the Grundy County Board to look out for: Chairman Chris Balkema is running for the 53rd District State Senate seat, and he’s running unopposed. The make-up of the Grundy County Board will see some changes this election, even if voters choose to keep all incumbents.
2) 13th Judicial District
Associate Judge Scott Belt, who often oversees trials in Grundy County, is looking to fill the vacancy left by Judge Lance Peterson in a race against Republican candidate John Peacock. Belt and Peacock are both Morris natives seeking to fill Peterson’s seat while Peterson seeks to retain his position as judge in the 3rd District Appellate Court that he was appointed to in August 2022.
3) Braceville Fire Protection District, increase corporate tax rate from .30% to .35%
Voters in Braceville will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to approve a corporate tax rate increase from .30% to .35%. This means the tax for those within the fire district would go up 1/50th of a percentage if the voters approve the measure. According to the ballot, the average property owner would see an increase of less than $50 on their tax bill. The additional revenue for the Braceville Fire Protection District would go toward replacing outdated equipment, covering increasing payroll and insurance cost, and cover system fees for Starcom.