Voters in the Aurora area will cast ballots April 1 on a number of referendum questions.
Kane County voters will be asked whether they support a 0.75% sales tax increase meant to boost funding for the county’s public safety services.
A sales tax increase of 0.75% means buyers would pay 75 cents more in tax on every $100 they spend on items covered by the tax in Kane County. The county has said there are exemptions for essential items like groceries and prescription medications, which are determined by Illinois tax law.
Proponents said the referendum proposes a sales tax, rather than a property tax, so as to share costs with visitors to Kane County.
According to the county, services that would receive revenue from the successful passage of the referendum question include the offices of the sheriff, state’s attorney, public defender, coroner and circuit clerk; KaneComm 911; Public Health and the Office of Emergency Management.
The proposed 0.75% sales tax hike is expected to generate upwards of $50 million annually, county officials have said. If voters don’t approve the referendum question, the county would have to dip into its 90-day reserve funds to balance the 2026 budget, according to past reporting, provided spending remains about the same as 2025. That would leave the county with only about $8 million above the required 90-day reserves, Kane County Finance Director Kathleen Hopkinson has said.
Another referendum question will be voted on by residents in Kaneland School District 302. They will decide whether to approve a $140 million bond issue for infrastructure and facility needs at all campuses across the district.
Voters in 2023 rejected a $57.5 million bond issue to make improvements to Kaneland High School, which was originally built in 1958.
The school board decided for this referendum on a “comprehensive plan” to address “critical infrastructure needs” on all campuses rather than just focus on the high school, officials said.
The “guiding principles” for a more comprehensive referendum question were critical infrastructure needs, safety concerns, long-term needs, fiscal responsibility and more, according to board documents.
The referendum question — the last one was passed 17 years ago — is asking for the issuing of bonds in the amount of $140,274,000, which would restructure and extend the district’s current loan, but unlike the failed 2023 referendum, would not raise taxes, officials have said.
In Sugar Grove, a non-binding referendum question on the April 1 ballot will provide residents an opportunity to express their support or opposition to the controversial Crown Community Development project called The Grove planned at Interstate 88 and Route 47.
The project, approved by the village in 2024, is a 760-acre mixed-use development planned to include nearly 400 acres of residential properties, over 120 acres of commercial development and about 240 acres for a business park, according to past reporting. According to its website, the project could hold as many as 1,500 residential units.
Proponents of the referendum say, although it is non-binding, that it will show village leaders the sentiments of Sugar Grove voters on the development.
