Unofficial results show Oswego Fire Protection District referendum passing by a wide margin

It took four tries over the past two years, but it appears the Oswego Fire Protection District has secured the voters’ approval for more funding.

Unofficial ballot results from Kendall and Will counties released late Tuesday, showed the district’s request for authorization to sell up to $17 million in general obligation bonds passing with 4,152 “yes” votes to 3,047 “no” votes.

The agency’s Board of Trustees voted to place the referendum on the April 4 ballot to pay for what district officials described as its “critical needs” amid the continuing population growth in the district.

In seeking voter support for the referendum, Fire Chief John Cornish said the fire district would use the proceeds from the bond sale over next 10 years to buy new vehicles and equipment, fund the construction of an additional fire station and retire a portion for the district’s current debt.

Cornish said he and other district officials have listened and learned from the voters over the course of three failed referendum attempts dating back to the April 2021 consolidated election.

Cornish said in each of the prior referendums the district was asking voters to approve a permanent property tax rate hike to provide revenues that would allow the district to maintain current service levels as the local population continues to grow.

However, Cornish said by asking to voters to authorize the bond sale, the agency was seeking a specific amount of money – $17 million – to cover the cost of every item in the agency’s 10-year capital improvement plan.

Fire district officials estimated that the general obligation bond would cost the owner of a home valued at $300,000 about $93.93 more on the fire district’s portion of their annual property tax bill.

Cornish, however, said the cost to individual homeowners potentially could decrease as the population of the fire district continues to grow over the next decade and more homes and businesses are added to the property tax rolls.

The final year the bond sale charge would be included on local property tax bills would be 2034. After 2034, the additional tax to repay the bonds will be removed from the fire district’s portion of local tax bills.