Counties consider 1% tax hikes
[October 20, 2026]
By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Voters in at least three Illinois counties are
considering sales tax referendums.
Sales taxes would go up 1% in Adams, Lake and Tazewell counties if
voters approve the schools facilities tax measure on the November
ballot.
Megan McCombs, Democratic candidate for Tazewell County board, said she
100% supports the 1% tax increase.
“This has the potential to help reduce the increases on property taxes,
since not only do the residents of Tazewell County pay into this, but so
does anyone visiting our county,” McCombs said in a statement to The
Center Square.
McCombs said Tazewell County residents are already paying the tax in
surrounding counties.
Adams County Republicans oppose the 1% tax.
“We are in a state in which we are taxed into oblivion, and this is just
another tax on top of all of the other taxes,” Adams County GOP precinct
committeeperson Roni Quinn told The Center Square.
The Quincy Public Schools website includes a Quincy Together page with
campaign information about the proposed tax.
The campaign includes a future ballot issue asking voters if existing
property tax dollars used for building payments could instead go to the
education fund.
“Are there taxpayer dollars being used to fund this campaign, and are
these public schools crossing a line by promoting ballot measures or
getting involved in elections?” Quinn said.
Quinn said the campaign supporting the referendum used school databases
to send emails to all parents and used school buildings for meeting
places.
“We should not be using taxpayer funded resources, aka the schools, to
promote ballot measures,” Quinn said.
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An early voting sign is displayed. Photo: Emilee Calametti / The
Center Square
The QPS site said about 60% of the estimated sales tax revenue would
come from consumers who live outside Adams County.
Morton School District 709 said on its site nearly 60% of the
revenue would come visitors and commuters in Tazewell County, for an
estimated total of $22 million per year.
On Oct. 2, the Illinois Policy Institute sent cease-and-desist
letters to 17 school districts in Tazewell County, alleging that
school boards appeared to have authorized the use of public funds to
urge voter support of the referendum.
“Because we believe the Board’s conduct constitutes illegal election
interference in violation of the Illinois Election Code, we are
writing to alert you to your obligations under the Election Code and
demand that you cease and desist from engaging in any further
conduct constituting election interference,” wrote IPI Vice
President of Policy and Litigation Mailee Smith.
On Oct. 5, Americans for Prosperity Illinois asked Attorney General
Kwame Raoul and state's attorneys in Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will
counties to investigate whether 24 local taxing bodies used taxpayer
resources to campaign for more taxpayer money.
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