Frankfort Sales Tax Hike: Voters Approve 1% Increase

FRANKFORT, IL — Voters in Frankfort went to the polls Tuesday and approved to increase the village's sales tax by 1 percent. The referendum, which would raise the sales tax from 7 percent to 8 percent, was unanimously put on the ballot by the Frankfort Village Board in August.

The new sales tax received 4,569 votes, which is the unofficial total by the Will County clerk's office. Once the vote total is approved by the clerk's office in 21 days, the increase will be seen on village sales receipts in January.

Although they described the village as currently financially sound, Frankfort officials decided to put the measure on Tuesday's ballot as a way to hedge against tighter economic times in the future. The village has already reduced staff from 88 to 78 employees, as well as delayed some capital expenditures and added a garbage fee and utility taxes.

"While all of these actions have helped us in the short run, they're not sustainable solutions to our long-term financial health without making significant cuts to village services," Trustee Cindy Heath, the acting mayor pro-tem for Mayor Jim Holland at the Aug. 6 board meeting that placed the referendum on the midterm ballot.

Raising Frankfort's Sales Tax: Voting Results

• YES: 4,569 (53.33 percent)
• NO: 3,998 (46.67 percent)

With 14 of 14 precincts reporting. Vote totals are unofficial.

After the polls close, you can head back to Patch as the vote totals roll in. Subscribe to Patch's free News Alerts for election results.

The referendum read as follows:

"Shall the corporate authorities of the Village of Frankfort, Will and Cook Counties, Illinois, be authorized to levy a Non-Home Rule Retailers' Occupation Tax and a Non-Home Rule Service Occupation Tax at the rate of one (1%) percent for expenditure on municipal operations, expenditures on public infrastructure, or property tax relief?"

The sales tax increase is expected to generate about $2.8 million. That revenue would be put toward hiring police officers and to the village's capital fund, which pays for infrastructure improvements, according to an additional measure adopted by the Village Board.

ELECTIONS: Find Out Who Will Be Illinois' Next Governor And Results From Other State Races

An upside of the tax hike — besides adding quite a few more dollars to village coffers — is that 70 percent of it would be generated by non-residents, Heath said. Even with the possible increase, Frankfort would still have a relatively low sales tax at 7 percent compared with other nearby communities. Among Lincoln-Way villages, New Lenox has an 9 percent sales tax, and Mokena's is at 7.5 percent. Tinley Park's sales tax varies by location; it's 7.75 percent in the Will County stretch and 9.75 percent in the Cook County portion.

Margo McDermed Vs. Matthew Hunt: IL House, 37th District

While the 37th District race between Republican incumbent Margo McDermed and Democrat Matthew Hunt hasn't received the same attention as other statewide contests, it's a race on the radar for the Lincoln-Way community.

Margo McDermed Vs. Matthew Hunt: Election Results

McDermed was the projected winner in the race. She defeated Hunt with an unofficial tally of 26,822 votes with all 62 precincts reporting.

The GOP incumbent buck the trend of voters state representatives in the Chicago area suburbs. A mini-blue wave swept through the northwest suburbs with victories by Mark Walker in the 53rd District and Michelle Mussman in the 56th District. Ann Gillespie also captured the State Senate seat for the 27th District.

McDermed has served as the area's representative since 2015 when she was appointed to then-81st District seat following Renée Kosel's resignation in January of that year. Hunt, who runs his family's insurance company, Hunt Insurance Group, received a financial boost in late August from Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who donated $750 to the campaign.

Frankfort Park District Referendum: Reducing Commissioners

"Shall the number of commissioners on the board of the Frankfort Park District be reduced from seven (7) to five (5)?"

Reduction of Frankfort Park District Commissioners: Voting Results

• YES: 5,539 (74.39 percent)
• NO: 1,907 (25.61 percent)

With 13 of 13 precincts reporting. Vote totals are unofficial.

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