Kendall County Times

Oswego School District voters rejected a tax hike to support the school's operating fund and it was the second time voters rejected the referendum.

According to Kendall County Now, the unofficial final tally showed 7,458 voted yes on the referendum and 8,689 voted no.

This marks the second time voters have rejected such a proposal, with the first one coming in April 2019. Just like the first attempt, voters were asked to approve a 30-cent property tax increment by the Oswego District's Board of Education. The proposed tax increase was meant to support the district's operating fund and it did not sit well with the voters.

The proposals in the referendum meant that homeowners with properties valued at $200,000 would pay an additional $182 in additional taxes annually; owners with properties valued at $250,000 would pay an additional $232; and owners with properties valued at $300,000 would pay an additional $282. 

Compared to the 2019 ballot, this year's referendum attracted a large number of voters. In 2019, the referendum received 4,085 yes votes and 4,411 no votes.

Dr. John Sparlin, superintendent of the Oswego School District, thanked the voters and community volunteers in a statement.

"We would like to thank all the voters who took the time to learn about the referendum and what it meant for our district. We would also like to express our gratitude to the many community members who volunteered and dedicated their time to educating our community on the district's challenges," Sprain said. "We will continue to do what we've always done, which is providing a great education to our students."

Lauri Doyle, president of the Board of Education, also said she appreciated the volunteers' efforts.

"I'd like to thank all of the volunteers who spent the time to work on making their community a better place for the kids, I know you put a lot of time and effort into this endeavor, and I appreciate the support you've shown for all of our community," Doyle said, as reported by Kendall County Now. "I know that we're going to continue to be able to provide a great education to our kids, and we will figure out how to make everything go the way it needs to. It won't look the way we hope it can, but we will still be able to provide a great education."