Tazewell County voters Tuesday once again defeated a 1% school facilities sales tax referendum.
54.8% of voters rejected the measure, which fell short by 4,730 votes, in unofficial results.
The tax was previously rejected by Tazewell voters in 2018 and 2019 by 51% and 56% of voters, respectively.
Each county adjacent to Tazewell has approved the tax, prompting Morton Superintendent Joe Sander to call the county "the hole in the donut" in the run-up to the election.
Revenue from the tax in this year's vote, estimated at $22 million annually, would have been distributed to Tazewell's 18 school districts based on student population
The funding would have paid for maintenance upgrades, safety and security projects, and added to mental health resources.
More than half the revenue from the tax — nearly 60%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — would have come from shoppers who are not Tazewell County residents.
Voter turnout in the county was 60.3% of about 84,750 registered voters.
Nothing but Republicans
The 21-member Tazewell County Board will have a new look but remain an all-Republican body.
Thirteen board candidates were either re-elected or elected Tuesday in unofficial results.
Three Democrats ran for board seats, but were unsuccessful.
The winners in District 1 were Nancy Proehl (7,170), Kim Joesting (7,167), Brad Donley (6,497) and Kaden Nelms (6,391), followed by Democrat Amber Robertson (5,929).
Proehl, Joesting and Nelms were re-elected.
Ben Ackerman (12,127), Nick Graff (10,873), Greg Sinn (10,610) and Curtis Baum (10,405) were elected in District 2, defeating Democrat Megan McCombs (6,984).
Graff and Sinn were re-elected.
At age 18, Ackerman will become the youngest board member in history. He's related to County Clerk and Recorder John Ackerman.
Dave Mingus (11,203), Tammy Rich-Stimson (10,425), Jason Magarity (10,023) and Eugene Glueck (9,485) were the winners in District 3.
Mingus and Rich-Stimson were re-elected. Glueck has been serving on the board as an appointee.
Corey Wiegand (10,428) was elected to a 2-year unexpired term in District 3, defeating Democrat Tom Shrier (6,865).
Sheriff Jeff Lower, Treasurer Hannah Clark and John Ackerman each ran unopposed and were re-elected. They're all Republicans.
Splash pad and more
Morton Park District voters Tuesday approved a $4.8 million bond referendum.
The vote was 5,866 to 3,380, or 63% to 37% in favor of the referendum.
The nearly $5 million will be used to build a splash pad at the Morton Pool and do capital improvements at other park district facilities.
Park district voters in 2008 approved a $4 million bond referendum to build a new Morton Pool. The old pool was 44 years old at the time and well beyond its useful life.
A new pool was built in 2009.
The pool bonds will be paid off next year. The new bonds will replace the current ones, with little change in a park district resident's property tax bill.
Park district officials said the new bonds will increase property taxes for a home valued at $250,000 by about $40 annually.
