Voters in many areas across Illinois will go to the polls in the Primary in March to elect politicians.
Some will also make choices about school spending that will have a more direct impact on household budgets.
Before Election Day, citizens will need to do their homework to better inform their all-important votes. Circumstances in each school district vary, making it critical that voters examine the issues carefully and balance district and student wants and needs with what taxpayers can afford.
In general, districts are asking voters for more money to fund school operations, new buildings, and building improvements and technology. Numerous requests will be on ballots on March 17, 2020. Many districts are taking capital bond requests to voters, and many others are seeking support for general operations. Some have more than one request on the ballot.
The requests could add $340 to $400 per year to the property tax bill for a $250,000 home, and thousands of dollars to small businesses in your communities; possibly so negatively impacting them which will resulted in them being closed and the properties becoming financially incapable of being reutilized for business.
This blog post is not taking a position on any of the referendums. We urge voters to do their research and consider the arguments for and against the requests.
The school district websites that have bond and levy referendums, should depict the amounts and purposes. Voters should visit district websites, some of which have calculators to help them determine how much their tax bills would increase if requests are approved. But you must remember that most Districts will not furnish calculations for industrial and commercial properties because those increases will clearly be astounding.
