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Reading Township Sewer District Formation Referendum (2010)
The Reading Township Sewer District Formation Referendum was a ballot measure that did not appear on the March 2010 ballot in Livingston County for voters in Reading Township. If the township approved of the petition, the referendum question would have been placed on the November ballot asking voters whether or not to stop the formation of a new sewer district in the city of Streator, Illinois.
Support
Supporters said that the proposed $13 million South Streator sewer district would have tied into the township system to be treated and would have also lowered the service base charge of $22.50 for South Streator residents, which could have raised service charges for township residents. The South Streator area, where the proposed sewer district would have been servicing, had 900 unsewered homes at the time.[1]
Opposition
Opponents said that not only would the referendum have frozen the project until it was voted on, but would have resulted in the Illinois Department of Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) rescinding the $5 million state grant and an $8 million zero-interest stimulus loan it had promised the township.[2]
Contestation
Bruce Trego, Reading Township project coordinator, stated that a challenge to the petition could be submitted township residents opposing a referendum. The challenge had to have been submitted by June 15, 2009. Contested items could have included whether or not signatures on the submitted petition were legitimate. Trego said, "The statutes are unclear how to formally file a challenge. You really need an attorney to write up a formal challenge."
Signatures
The petition, which was signed by 200 area registered voters, was submitted on June 4, 2009 to the Township Board for review, four days before the official deadline. The petition signature requirement for a question to be put on the November ballot was 144 signatures, or 10 percent of registered voters from the last election.[3]
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Footnotes
