Preliminary results point to rejection of referendum to abolish the McHenry Township Road District
Updated 4/7/2021 12:23 PM
A referendum to abolish the McHenry Township Road District was on track to be rejected by voters, preliminary election results show, the culmination of a hard-fought battle to eliminate the separate taxing body and place the responsibilities of maintaining the township s roads under the jurisdiction of the McHenry Township Board.
Unofficial election results reported by the McHenry County Clerk s Office showed voters rejected the referendum by a margin of 80.4% to 19.6%, as of 9:45 p.m. Tuesday night. The results do not include all mail-in or provisionally cast ballots.
The Appellate Court of the Second District has handed down their order in the McHenry County Road District case. The Road District brought suit against the Township Board members and Clerk after the Board reduced the tax levy submitted by the Road District Highway Commissioner. The Board reduced the levy by $905,000.00. The goal of the lawsuit was to obtain a Temporary Restraining Oder and require the board to certify the levy submitted by the Road District.
The court ruled in favor of the township board members and the Clerk and denied the relief being asked for by the Road District. That ruling equates to a $905,000.00 savings to the taxpayers of McHenry County.