Most towns OK electricity purchases; 911 surcharge defeated

Updated: April 22, 2012 8:11AM

Voters were divided Tuesday on local referendums, approving most proposals to buy electricity in bulk, rejecting 911 surcharges in four towns and saying “yes” to giving more money to the Palos Fire Protection District, which might avoid a merger with the Orland Fire Protection District.

In an advisory referendum, Homer Glen residents said “no” to deer culling by the Will County Forest Preserve District, with 1,841 in favor and 2,918 against.

Of the 29 towns and Will County that held referendums on saving on electricity by purchasing it community-wide, 10 rejected the idea — Chicago Heights, Richton Park, Matteson, Monee, Lockport, Midlothian, Dolton, Riverdale, Joliet and unincorporated Will County.

“That one surprised me,” Matteson Mayor Andre Ashmore said about his village’s rejection of electricity aggregation. “They may have thought it may have meant incurring some other kind of cost which it didn’t. I can’t explain that one.”

Results show that voters turned down the 911 surcharge on their monthly telephone bills — for land lines only — in Matteson, Richton Park, Olympia Fields and Park Forest. The first increase in 10 years would’ve benefited SouthCom, which fields 911 calls for the towns.

“It’s one of those things that I don’t know how many people realize it has to be paid for one way or another,” Park Forest Mayor John Ostenburg said. “When people’s property taxes go up, they have to realize this is one of those services you have to pay for.”

The higher surcharge would cost Matteson residents an extra $1.90 per month on their phone bills, while Olympia Fields residents would pay an extra $5.70. Park Forest phone bills would cost an extra $3.75, and Richton Park’s would rise by $3.50.

Voters in the Palos Fire Protection District narrowly passed a 25-cent tax rate increase, with 1,886 “yes” votes to 1,814 “no” votes with all 14 precincts reporting. This was the second attempt at a rate increase for the fire district.

The higher rate will cost $82.50 more per year for every $100,000 of market value. It will generate about $2 million per year and eliminate the need to close one of the district’s two fire stations. Last April, voters rejected a 19-cent tax rate hike.

Richton Park voters split on two referendum questions for a new library — agreeing to sell bonds to build it but denying a property tax increase to operate the new building. With all 11 precincts reporting, 699 approved the tax hike while 1,060 were opposed. On issuing $6 million in building bonds, 1,222 voted “yes” and 565 voted no.

The Richton Park Library wants to build a new 18,000-square-foot building. Library board president Warrette Coleman said the mixed results would cause the board to go back to the table to discuss how to proceed with the new building.

In the Worth Park District, voters turned down by a vote of 944 to 367 a plan to finance park improvements by raising the district’s annual debt limit from $48,000 to $130,000, with annual increases of 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. That would have cost taxpayers $8.88 more per year per $100,000 of equalized assessed value.

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