Fifteen referendums will appear on various Kane County ballots for the March 20 primary — 14 in Kane County outside the Aurora city limits and one more on the ballot within the city of Aurora.

According to the Kane County Clerk’s Office referenda page, six involve fire protection districts, two involve home-rule status, one asks whether a village clerk position should be elected or appointed and four ask voters whether a local tax should be increased or repealed.

The 14 referendums will be of interest to voters living within the boundaries of Rutland Dundee Township Fire Protection District, South Elgin Countryside Fire Protection District, Fox River & Countryside Fire-Rescue District, Pingree Grove & Country Side Fire District, Hampshire Fire Protection District, the city of Geneva, the village of East Dundee, the village of Lily Lake, the village of Maple Park, Aurora Township and the Fox Valley Park District.

The Aurora Election Commission, which serves Kane County residents within the boundaries of the city of Aurora, has posted information about the three referendums that will be on the ballot. Click this link to read more.

Click the links below to read the full text of each referendum question or view the petition, and look to local media for articles about the pro’s and cons of each.

You can often find additional information about a referendum question on the websites of the government offices affected.

Geneva Sales Tax Referendum

For example, the city of Geneva is proposing a .5 percent increase in sales taxes to support operations, infrastructure or property tax relief. The city has created a brochure that explains the referendum and reasons city officials have put the question on the ballot.

The question reads:

Shall the corporate authorities of the City of Geneva, Kane County, Illinois be authorized to levy a Non-Home Rule Municipal Retailers’ Occupation Tax and Non-Home Rule Municipal Service Occupation Tax (commonly referred to as a “municipal sales tax”) at the rate of one percent (1.0%) for the purpose of funding expenditures on municipal operations, expenditures on public infrastructure or for property tax relief?

The brochure explains in the impact to consumers in layman’s terms:

Additional information is available on the city of Geneva website.