TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. (25News Now) -The Illinois Policy Institute is questioning how 17 Tazewell County school districts have promoted a proposed 1% countywide school facilities sales tax ahead of the Nov. 3 election, alleging that some communications may violate state election law.
The institute sent cease-and-desist letters to school officials earlier this month, accusing them of improperly using taxpayer-funded resources to promote the referendum, commonly known as the “One-Cent Tax.”
The Illinois Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization, and its partner organization, Illinois Policy, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, argue that state law allows school districts to provide voters with factual information about ballot measures but prohibits them from using public resources to encourage voters to support or oppose a proposal.
The letter identifies several communications the institute believes crossed that line, including newsletters sent to district families, the use of a campaign website and video, and promotional slogans and logos.
“For example, the initial logo and the website was called ‘Tazewell for Students,’ and it had kind of a slogan around it, supporting students, strengthening schools, building community, and that implied that voting for the referendum would be for students and failing to vote for it would be against students, making that an opinion,” said Mailee Smith, the institute’s vice president of policy and litigation and a Tazewell County resident.
Smith also questioned statements suggesting the proposed sales tax would provide property tax relief.
“We also saw that there was language indicating it could move the burden away from property taxpayers, which, there is no guarantee that residents would experience a property tax relief as implied,” Smith said.
Smith said the institute does not currently plan to file a complaint with the Tazewell County state’s attorney because superintendents have responded to its concerns and agreed to make changes.
According to Smith, those changes include revisions to the campaign logo and website address, along with changes to communications on district websites and social media accounts.
“We’re very interested in how these campaigns come about. It appears that districts might be given information from a third party about some of these claims, and the claims might not necessarily be true, like the property tax claim,” Smith said.
“We want to make sure that school districts are getting proper information from third parties and that they are being transparent to the voters and the parents in their districts.”
The referendum remains on the Nov. 3 ballot.
25News previously spoke with school officials about the proposed tax, who said the additional revenue would help districts fund facility improvements and address infrastructure needs.
If voters approve the measure, the county would impose an additional 1% sales tax on qualifying purchases. Under Illinois law, the revenue could fund school facility projects, including building repairs, renovations, heating and cooling systems, new construction and facility-related debt. State law also permits certain expenditures for school resource officers and mental health professionals.
The additional tax would not apply to certain purchases, including groceries, qualifying medications, motor vehicles and farm equipment.
25News reached out to Tazewell County school superintendents for comment on the institute’s allegations and the reported changes but did not receive a response before publication.
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