There are the four election-day referendums on the ballot affecting Kendall County residents in Yorkville and Sandwich.
Three of the questions are from Yorkville, and two of them are questions officials have asked the voters about before.
Those two questions ask voters if they want to get rid of the elected county clerk and treasurer positions.
In the case of the treasurer position, the work would revert to the appointed city treasurer if the position is abolished. In that regard, the actual practice in Yorkville right now is to have the city treasurer, who also is the finance director, perform treasurer duties.
The elected treasurer, William Powell, has twice resigned from the job after being elected. He agreed that the work can be done by the city treasurer, thus saving money.
City officials are hoping the same thing can be done with the city clerk’s position, where the deputy clerk can do the work, they said.
The third Yorkville referendum is asking voters if they want the city to become home rule.
Home rule infers a lot of independent powers to a municipality. Those opposing home rule says it gives a city too much ability to enact taxes. But those who support it say it gives the city much more self-determination over how it is organized.
Cities that reach 25,000 people or more automatically become home rule, but those lower than that must do it by referendum.
One of the powers home rule gives a city is to establish a city sales tax. But without home rule, that must be established by referendum, which is what the city of Sandwich is trying to do.
Sandwich has an election-day referendum asking residents to establish a 1 percent city sales tax that would go directly toward the municipal budget.
