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Health & Fitness

Blast from the Past: Lisle Voters Reject Library $14 M Referendum

It was 8 years ago....

2005 Lisle Library $14M Referendum 
Overwhelmingly rejected by 2/3 of the voters.

'Tax angst' to blame for rejection of hikes?
Experts say uncertainty may account for failing proposals


Daily Herald 
By Marni Pyke 


April 7, 2005 - Whether it came down to anti-tax sentiment, the creaking economy or skepticism about government, voters across DuPage County snubbed most questions about raising their taxes.

Only two of 14 tax-related questions on the ballot passed. The cold shoulder fell equally on school, library and fire protection districts.

Concerns about the economy and hefty tax bills likely contributed to the string of defeats, experts contend.

"There's a lot of property tax angst," Benedictine University political scientist Roger Rose said.

Salt Creek Elementary District 48 and Glenbard High School District 87 lost bids seeking funds for education while Indian Prairie Unit School District 204 voters axed a plan to build a third high school in Naperville.

Depending on the district, success would have meant tax increases ranging from $114 to $361 for people with homes valued at $300,000.

Salt Creek Superintendent Mary Summers speculated failure at the polls - the fifth time for the district - resulted partly from a large number of senior citizens voting.

"Sixty percent of our population are not parents or grandparents of our students, and they're on fixed incomes," she said. "That really hurts us because the economy is so bad."

But Jim Tobin of the National Taxpayers United of Illinois blamed salaries.

"I think there's more and more awareness teachers and administrators are being paid enormous amounts of money and saying, 'Enough is enough,' " Tobin said.

Roselle Fire Protection District leaders also looked to the senior citizen factor - and a paltry 23 percent voter turnout - to explain defeat. The district was seeking more money for operational costs.

"There's a lot of older people who are retired and on fixed incomes. Their way of thinking is, 'If it's not broke, don't fix it,' " district Trustee Tommy King said.

The two governments that confounded the rejection trend were the Wheaton Park District and the village of Itasca.

Wheaton's win likely came from its zero property-tax increase strategy. The district is retiring a loan that will be replaced by new debt that will produce roughly the same tax rate.

Itasca opted for a sales, not property, tax boost to improve local infrastructure. The measure won 79 percent support.

"It was our strongest point, not being a property-tax increase," Trustee Tom Reynolds said.

Library district referendum requests for new buildings in Lisle and Carol Stream and for operating costs in Bensenville all died.

Tobin called the losses inevitable.

"Libraries are outmoded - with the Internet you don't need them anymore," he said.

But Carol Stream Assistant Director Ann Kennedy saw the results as more anti-tax than anti-library.

"The economy hasn't taken off yet," she said. "People are still trying to recover. What property taxes have been passed hit people pretty hard."

National issues such as the economy, war in Iraq, inflation, high gas prices and the Social Security debate all factored into local referendum decisions, North Central College political scientist Ann Durkin Keating surmises.

"It's an uncertain moment," she said. "The discussion on Social Security is raising questions about taking on debt."

Some experts also pointed to DuPage's Republican majority and whether traditional GOP priorities like small government and low taxes were factors.

"All things being equal, it's harder to get a tax increase passed in Glen Ellyn than it is in (Democrat-dominated) Oak Park," Rose said.

"Both want to invest in communities but the whole trust of government becomes very important in conservative communities."

County GOP Chairman and state Sen. Kirk Dillard argued: "Republicans will pay for services if they believe they are quality services. We're not always against referendums if accountability comes with what they want the money for."

Lisle residents Walter Hickey and Tom Methenitis, who both voted against paying more taxes to build a new library, said there was little mystery in their decisions.

"It's not that old. It's still very functional. The fact is, we don't need it," Hickey said.

Methenitis said: "The bottom line is they have not exhausted their options for adding on. I wasn't convinced; it's throwing a lot of money around without an alternate plan
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