Voters reject referendums in Marengo, Greenwood, Hebron Township

Three referendums for possible tax hikes were voted down Tuesday.

A referendum to increase taxes in Hebron Township was handily defeated. The ballot included a question regarding the extension limitation under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. Voters were asked if the limitation should be increased from the lesser of 5 percent or the percentage increase in the consumer price index over the prior levy year to 7.31 percent a year for 2018. Nearly 67 percent voted against it (548 votes).

Marengo residents voted against an advisory referendum on the Marengo Park District paying for a swimming pool. The nonbinding referendum asked if residents were interested in the pool located within Indian Oaks park reopening and whether they were willing to face a tax increase to pay for it.

The referendum asked voters for “a significant increase in your property taxes to acquire monies not to exceed $150,000 to pay for the investigation of the current state of the pool.” About 73 percent of voters voted against it (1,753 votes), according to unofficial results.

In the village of Greenwood, residents voted against a new tax levy for road maintenance. If passed, the village would have imposed an additional 0.25 percent tax of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property. About 65 percent of respondents voted against it (74 votes), according to unofficial results.

More than 60 percent of McHenry County respondents (774 votes) voted for the William Rainey Harper Community College Board of Trustees to acquire property and add more buildings by issuing bonds not to exceed $180 million. According to unofficial results, 103,989 people across McHenry, Lake, Kane and Cook counties voted for it.