LAKE AND MCHENRY COUNTIES, IL — Voters rejected the majority of referendums seeking taxpayer funding in Lake County during Tuesday's election — while residents in neighboring McHenry County also turned down a major school construction proposal — as concerns about the increased cost of living appeared to weigh on decisions at the ballot box.
Five of six Lake County referendums seeking additional tax revenue or borrowing authority failed, a rejection rate of approximately 83 percent, according to unofficial election results and a Daily Herald report. The results included the defeat of a countywide sales tax to support schools, a $39.5 million library expansion proposal and several requests for additional funding for fire protection and other public services.
In McHenry County, voters also opposed Community Unit School District 300's $355.5 million bond referendum, which would have funded school construction, security improvements and a new career and technical education center.
In Lake County, voters rejected a proposed 1 percent countywide sales tax, which supporters estimated could generate as much as $122 million annually for school improvements, security measures and mental health professionals.
In total, 121,459 voters opposed the measure, compared with 92,177 who supported it, according to unofficial results.
The referendum would have allowed school districts to use the revenue for construction, renovations, school resource officers, mental health professionals and other eligible expenses.
Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools Michael Karner told the Daily Herald feedback from stakeholders pointed to pocketbook concerns and insufficient information about the proposal as factors in its defeat.
The measure faced opposition from the Lake County Republican Central Committee and the Barrington Area Council of Governments, which argued that another tax would increase financial pressure on residents already facing rising costs.
Voters also rejected the Vernon Area Public Library District's proposal to borrow $39.5 million for renovations and an expansion of its Lincolnshire facility.
The proposal failed with approximately 7,349 — or 53 percent — of voters rejecting it. In total, 6,485 voted in favor of it, according to unofficial results.
Jonathan Passman, president of the library district, acknowledged residents' financial concerns in a statement following the election, according to the Daily Herald.
"We understand that this vote was about taxes, not the community's love for the library," Passman said.
Other unsuccessful Lake County funding measures included a proposed tax increase in Antioch Township and tax proposals involving the Fox Lake and Newport Township fire protection districts.
The one exception was Lake Zurich, where 4,308 voters — nearly 60 percent — supported issuing $20.3 million in bonds to build and equip a replacement fire station.
Village officials said the new facility would address public safety needs, improve emergency response times and replace an aging station.
The trend extended into McHenry County, where voters in the McHenry County portion of Community Unit School District 300 rejected a $355.5 million bond referendum.
Unofficial results showed 6,190 McHenry County voters opposed the measure, compared with 4,792 who supported it. Districtwide, including portions of Kane, Cook and DeKalb counties, the referendum failed by a much narrower margin, with 19,678 voting against it and 18,754 supporting it.
The proposal would have financed a new career and technical education center, classroom additions, safety improvements and repairs to aging school buildings.
According to District 300's referendum information, the proposal would have increased property taxes by an estimated $101 annually for the owner of a home valued at $400,000.
The district had planned to combine the proposed borrowing with approximately $87 million in existing resources for a $442.5 million facilities improvement package.
In a statement released Wednesday, the District 300 Board of Education acknowledged the referendum's defeat and said the district would reconsider how to address facility needs within available funding.
The board said the district's buildings are approximately 50 years old on average and that maintaining safe schools and adequate classroom space remains a priority.
"Without the referendum funding, the district cannot carry out the full proposed plan as presented," the board said.
District officials said they would develop alternative recommendations for addressing priority facility needs in the coming months.
Andy Friedlieb, president of the Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504, said Illinois needs to provide additional funding to public schools rather than relying on local communities to fill the gaps.
"Illinois' goal should be to fully fund education statewide, including in Lake County," Friedlieb told Patch Thursday. "That means we need to fully fund the Evidence Based Funding formula that the state passed nearly 10 years ago."
Illinois adopted its Evidence-Based Funding formula in 2017 to distribute state education dollars based on school districts' individual needs and available resources. The formula prioritizes districts furthest from their calculated funding adequacy targets.
Despite years of increased state investment, Illinois schools face a statewide funding adequacy gap of approximately $6.8 billion, up from $4.8 billion three years earlier, according to Capitol News Illinois .
The report found 292 of the state's 850 elementary, high school and unit districts were funded at 90 percent or more of their adequacy targets for fiscal year 2027, down from 327 in fiscal year 2024.
The Illinois State Board of Education announced in August that Evidence-Based Funding would increase by $350 million for fiscal year 2027, bringing the state's total annual investment to $9.3 billion. The agency said every school district would receive more state funding than the previous year.
"The continued historic investment into our Evidence-Based Funding model means that every school district in the State of Illinois is receiving more funding than last school year, consistent with prior years," said State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders. "Yes, FY 2027 has new challenges — from declining federal resources and CPPRT revenue to the increased cost of educating Illinois students to new low-income data — but we remain fully committed to funding public schools and supporting strong communities."
Rising costs, declining corporate tax revenues and changes in the number of students identified as low-income have contributed to the widening adequacy gap, according to the Capitol News Illinois report.
Friedlieb said the failure of the proposed 1 percent Lake County sales tax creates additional challenges for local schools.
"When the state does not provide enough funding, local communities must fill in the gaps and many cannot afford to do so," he said. "The fact that the 1% sales tax referendum did not pass means that Lake County communities will need supplemental funding to keep school services and supports at their current level."
On Thursday, the Illinois Federation of Teachers called on state lawmakers to approve an additional $500 million for public education during the General Assembly's veto session.
According to a news release from the union, the proposed supplemental budget includes $400 million for Evidence-Based Funding and $100 million for mandated expenses, such as special education transportation and tuition.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Grayslake Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.