By Vicky Wedig
Seventy-two voters decided Tuesday to allow the Delavan-Darien School District to levy an additional $1.25 in taxes for the next two years.
In Tuesday’s primary election, a referendum to allow the district to generate additional revenue was the only item on the ballot in Delavan. The vote was the district’s third attempt at passing a referendum to exceed its state-imposed revenue cap.
Vote totals, according to unofficial results Tuesday, are:
Yes 990
No 918
The district’s first try at passing the referendum was in April when it asked voters for approval to exceed operating costs by $2.1 million per year on a recurring basis. That vote failed by 562 votes – 1,721 no to 1,159 yes.
The district tried again in November, this time asking voters for $1.25 million for three years. That vote failed by 281 votes – 2,953 no to 2,672 yes.
After the failed attempts, the district discussed the strategy of taking a vote during a primary election when only voters with strong feelings one way or the other would turn out. Tuesday’s election yielded about 30 percent fewer voters than the April election and about a third of the voters who turned out at the November election.
The approved referendum of $1.25 million per year for two years is expected to add about 41 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to tax bills – or about $61.50 per year for the owner of a $150,000 home.
If the referendum had failed a third time, the district expected to have to lay off staff, possibly close an elementary school, develop multi-grade classes, cut equipment, move from an eight-period to a seven-period day at the high school and eliminate custodian, librarian and aide, public relations and career occupations positions.
