O’Fallon District 90 is among the Metro East region school districts who have placed referendum proposals on the April 2 ballot. (Photo courtesy of School District 90)

O’Fallon Community Consolidated School District 90, during next week’s April 2 consolidation elections, will seek advice on whether to start moving in earnest toward construction of a new school in the fast-growing district.

The City of Wood River will ask permission to levy the towns’ first  sales tax.

After years of holding classes in a mobile home, Smithton Community Consolidated School District 130 is proposing a $5 million bond issue to upgrade the Smithton Elementary School.

Collinsville Community Unit School District 10, the Marine Sanitary District, and the Valmeyer Fire Protection District are asking to increase property tax rates to reflect increased operating costs.

In a nonbinding referendum, the O’Fallon District 90 Board of Education is asking voters whether to issue $2,260,000 in bonds for the purchase of an 81-acre tract, just west of O’Fallon Township High School’s Milburn campus.

The site would eventually be used to provide an elementary school for the rapidly growing northwestern section of O’Fallon.

Technically, under Illinois law, voter approval is not required for school site acquisition, district officials say.

However, school board members feel the referendum will provide a good indication as to whether district voters favor the proposed new school and would eventually approve an additional bond issue for construction.

The tract is bordered by the Skyline Church and the Augusta Green residential development.

The school board moved to place the issue before voters  this spring during its October 2018 meeting.

In Wood River, voters will be asked to approve a new 1 percent local sales tax — bringing the combined sales tax in the city to 7.85 percent.  Currently, the combined sales tax rate in Wood River is 6.85 percent; reflecting the Illinois state sales tax of 6.25 percent and the Madison County sales tax rate of 0.35 percent.

Officially known as a “non-home rule municipal retailers’ occupation tax and a non-home rule municipal service occupation tax,” the sales tax would be used to provide property tax relief, public infrastructure and municipal operations, according to city officials.

Proposed Smithton Elementary School cafeteria

Infrastructure improvements would include flood prevention measures, sidewalks and road repair, possible development of a recreation center, redevelopment of existing housing and the annexation of unincorporated areas, according to a press release issued by Mayor Cheryl Maguire. The new tax would also be used to provide more activities for seniors and children, according to the release.

The proposed improvements were suggested by Wood River residents during a series of townhall style meetings in July 2018.

The sales tax was proposed as a way to pay for them after several other options — including grants, public-private partnership, motor fuel tax and a hotel-motel tax — were considered, Mayor Maguire said in the release.

Prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, groceries and gasoline would all be exempt from the new tax.

“The Smithton Referendum,” as Smithton School District 130 officials are calling their proposed $5 million, renovation and expansion program would provide Smithton Elementary:

– ten additional classrooms;

– additional ADA-accessible classroom and restrooms;

– kitchen and cafeteria expansion;

– elimination of the modular building current used for some classes;

– additional parking and improved drop-off areas;

– more and better quarters for auxiliary services such as nursing, social work and speech, occupational or physical therapy;

– a new combination gym-stage-and-music room;

– and increased storage space to eliminate the need for out-buildings; and_Relocation and expansion of playgrounds and bus parking to improve safety.

Smithton Elementary is the district’s sole school. Smithton School District enrollment has increased 10 percent over the past five years and almost 40 percent since 2006.

The facilities plan was developed through a two-year strategic planning and community engagement process, school officials say.

In Collinsville Community Unit School District 10, voters will be asked to increase the district’s transportation property tax from the present 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent.  Technically the ballot proposition would authorize the district to increase its maximum transportation tax rate, currently 0.2 percent, by 0.3 percent, and then establish the current tax rate at the new maximum of 0.5 percent.

The measure would increase local funding for transportation services in the district from the current $1,464,692 to approximately $3,661,730, according to the ballot proposition.

If approved the measure would raise the Collinsville School District’s total budget 3.13 percent from the current $70,289,538 to $72,486,576, according to the ballot language.

The Collinsville Board on Education voted 5 to 1 to put the tax proposal on the ballot during their Nov. 13, 2018 meeting. Board members Wayne White, Dennis Craft, Jane Soehlke, Gary Clark and Gary Kusmierczyk voted yes; board member Gary Peccola voted no; and board member Tim Hasamer was absent.

Voters in the Marine Sanitary District is asking district voters to increase the maximum property tax rate that can be assessed by the district.

The district is currently authorized to levy property taxes at a rate of no more than 0.25 percent. The ballot issue would increase that to a maximum of 0.5 percent.

The District Board of Trustees voted on Dec. 10, 2018 to submit the issue to voters.