Candidates plenty, tax issues few on DuPage ballot

While there are plenty of candidates in DuPage County seeking office on the April 7 ballot, conspicuously absent is the usual glut of tax-increase requests from the myriad governing bodies.

The Roselle Fire Protection District is once again asking voters for to support a tax hike above what is allowed by tax cap laws, Winfield voters will decide whether to borrow $1.8 million to build a new library, and voters in West Chicago Elementary District 33 are being asked to maintain the current tax rate so the district can borrow $49 million to expand the middle school.

Throw in six advisory questions - three each in Addison and Bensenville - and that pretty much sums up all the ballot questions DuPage voters will see. Recent elections have seen more than 20 ballot questions being asked of voters, most of which were tax-increase requests.

"We did have a lot of discussion within the board whether we wanted to put this on the ballot now given all the economic uncertainty," said District 33 board President Dave Barclay. "But the fact is we're running out of space."

By adding somewhere between 160,000 to 190,000 square feet to the middle school and moving all of the district's sixth graders to that campus, the school board is hopeful that will alleviate space demands at the district's elementary schools.

Barclay points out taxes are not likely to increase because of the loan for the middle school project because other debts are being retired. However, he acknowledged taxes might decrease if the measure fails.