Homer Township Advisory Questions: April 2025 Election

WILL COUNTY, IL — Voters in Homer Township will see three advisory questions on their ballots for the April 1 consolidated election.

The April 1 election will include local races for school boards, village, city and township government boards, library boards and park district boards, among others.

Homer Township Board has approved placing three advisory questions on the ballot. Advisory questions are non-binding, and are generally asked to gauge public opinion on matters.

The three questions that voters will see are:

1. "Should the state of Illinois enact constitutional pension reform to protect workers' existing retirements and generate savings which could provide property tax relief or be reinvested in the community?"
2. "Should the state of Illinois be allowed to force unfunded mandates on local governments who may raise property taxes to cover the costs of those mandates?"
3. "Should the state of Illinois create an independent citizens commission to draw fair and competitive federal and state redistricting maps, rather than allowing lawmakers to decide?"

Township Supervisor Steve Balich told Patch that "these are very important issues that need to be addressed."

"Pension reform is needed to protect people with existing retirements and at the same time provide property tax relief," Balich said.

Balich said some of the unfunded mandates from the state may be OK, but the state should pay for them if they want implementation.

"Local government is strapped for cash and increased burden from the state is just wrong," Balich said.

And lastly, Balich said redistricting maps drawn by a political party foster a one-party rule by drawing district boundary lines to suit the party in power.

"That is why the current districts make little sense," he said.

Homer Township residents will see all three questions on the ballot in April for the consolidated election.

ALSO: Voters who live in the White Oak Library District will also see a referendum question on their ballots.