Rockford School Board is considering pulling its November Tax Referendum off the Ballot

Rockford, Illinois- According to a memo sent out by Superintendent Dennis Thompson to the school board, the district may have the authority to extend the 58 cent tax without going to the voters. Thompson says its due to changes this summer in the Property Tax Extension Limitation law. Ted Biondo is on the referendum committee. "It would be like a candidate withdrawing and his name is on the ballot because they didn`t have time to take it off," says Biondo. "If you vote for him, you just wasted your vote, same thing for this." In a phone interview, Superintendent Dennis Thompson says if the district`s interpretation of the law is correct, they won`t ask the voters to approve the referendum. He says going ahead with an advisory referendum would cost a lot of money. "Why snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?" asks Thompson. State Senator Dave Syverson, who voted for the bill, disagrees with the district`s interpretation of the law. "To take the voters out of the equation is certainly not the right thing to do and I think in the end the school board will agree," says Syverson. Thompson admits voters could be angry they will not be voting on the tax levy, something that will be discussed by school board members at a special meeting this Monday. "Im sure that people who would like to see their taxes go down could raise an issue with the state making permanent a levy the voters passed as temporary," says School Board Member Jay Nellis. The special meeting will be held at 6 o`clock Monday at the school board building.