Posted in Cook, County, Elections, Preckwinkle's Rules of Order, Taxes on November 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »
(Click to enlarge)
The ballot question:
“Shall Illinois adopt the Millionaire Amendment for Property Tax Relief and Education, which would enact a 3% income tax surcharge only on millionaires and use 50% of this new revenue to provide property tax relief for residential and commercial taxpayers and 50% to improve state funding for public education?”
72% of Cook County voters said “Yes” Tuesday.
Posted in BACOG, Breakthrough Ideas, Chicago Reader, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Economy, Elections, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest on November 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Early voting ends today for the November 3, 2026 General Election. Again, polling locations by county are:
For general voting information, visit the Cook, Kane, Lake or McHenry County Clerk’s website(s).
Related: “A sound reason for Barrington Hills residents to vote for McLaughlin and Hills,” “Another sound reason for residents to vote for Hills and McLaughlin,” “Wealth and Party Machine Are Buying the Northwest Suburbs Votes,” “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District,” “Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District” and “Who really funds Nabeela Syed?”
Posted in BACOG, Bicyclists, Cook, County, EJ&E/Canadian National, Ethics, FPDCC, Guest Essay, Hoffman Estates, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, OP/Ed, Politics, Privacy, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Spring Creek Watershed, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Zoning Board on October 26, 2026| 7 Comments »
(Please click on image to enlarge)
Community update on Cook County zoning | October 26, 2026
Neighbors along Old Sutton and Penny Roads are asking how much commercial truck activity this residential corridor can accommodate. Cook County is considering a request to park up to 50 dump trucks south of Penny Road. A group of us is also examining earlier special-use approvals and a separate truck-terminal rezoning request. We want the County to consider their combined effects on roads, homes and natural areas, with supporting evidence in the public record.
The 50-truck site at 15N803 Old Sutton Road is unincorporated Cook County land zoned R-1 Single-Family Residence. Cook County’s zoning ordinance governs this application, not the zoning ordinances of Barrington Hills or South Barrington. A nearby village address does not change that. The County Zoning Board of Appeals makes written findings and a recommendation; the Cook County Board of Commissioners makes the final decision. Neighboring villages can object, but cannot veto this zoning request. Applicable road, environmental, health and other laws still apply. A separate annexation dispute involves other parcels.
Cases SU-26-0002 and VA-26-0017 involve approximately 4.4 acres. Cristobal Rodriguez and Lorena Galvez petitioned to park up to 50 dump trucks: six for their business and 44 additional spaces. They also seek an accessory-building height variance from 15 feet to 20 feet 2 inches. These uses require County zoning relief; R-1 status alone does not authorize them. The September 23, 2026 hearing was held. We have not confirmed a final County Board decision.
Cook County published a compilation of 22 objection letters. Seventeen cited traffic and safety, 15 zoning compatibility, 14 noise or residential character, 11 environmental concerns, 10 sensitive locations, 9 road conditions and 7 property values. Each letter could raise more than one issue; these counts describe concerns, not established harm. Barrington Hills formally objected, residents of both Barrington Hills and South Barrington submitted objections, and South Barrington’s mayor publicized the hearing.
Husky Trans, Inc. separately sought to rezone approximately 15.6 acres at 15 Old Sutton Road and 545 Penny Road from R-1 to C-4 commercial and I-4 motor-freight-terminal districts (MA-25-0002). Cook County deferred the application in October 2025; no final rezoning approval has been verified.
Barrington Hills’ 2024 annexation of roughly 44 acres nearby is under litigation. A trial court invalidated it, an appellate court reversed in September 2025, and the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments September 24, 2026. We have not confirmed a final ruling. This is distinct from the 15N803 County application.
We are also tracing historic special uses at 191 and 193 Penny Road and 15N272, 15N365 and 15N701 Old Sutton Road. Our working map covers more than 200 acres under study, but that does not mean 200 acres have commercial or Special Use approval. Current ownership, permitted acreage and a recently identified parcel still require verification.
Old Sutton Road is narrow, unlit and without shoulders, yet it serves residents, cyclists and equestrians. Truck counts, vehicle weights, routes and hours matter across all nearby operations, not only on the applicant’s lot. So do noise and neighboring residential property use.
The 2010 MWRD watershed plan modeled flooding at the Penny Road crossing of Spring Creek. That does not establish runoff from this truck site. It does raise practical questions about grading, drainage outlets, downstream capacity and spill controls near forest-preserve habitat and private wells. Water leaving one lot still enters a shared system.
Cook County Section 13.8.9(A) requires written findings on health and safety, nearby property use and values, roads, drainage, traffic and County compliance. We want to see how those standards are supported while accounting for existing operations and pending proposals.
A credible County record, and any possible later legal review, needs evidence more specific than general opposition. We are collecting:
We will ask the County to disclose its studies and explain each required finding. Credible records and expert testimony are essential; no evidence can promise a particular County or court outcome.
If you live nearby, know these properties, have records or photographs, or have an idea for helping, please contact me. Different views are welcome. Our objective is a factual public record and a thorough Cook County review of this corridor.
– Robin Duggan | Barrington Hills resident | rduggan@2gcinc.com
Cook County Zoning Ordinance Sections 3.3 and 13.8
County ZBA hearing application materials
County compilation of 22 objection letters
Barrington Hills formal objection
Husky rezoning request and deferral
Illinois Supreme Court oral argument docket 132527
MWRD watershed plans and reports
Posted in Cook, County, EJ&E/Canadian National, FPDCC, Hoffman Estates, Land Use, Open Meetings Act, Politics, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Roads and Bridges, School Districts, South Barrington, Traffic, Transparency, Village Clerk, Village Code, Zoning Board on October 25, 2026| 3 Comments »
15N803 Old Sutton Road via Google Maps
On September 18th we posted information regarding a Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals Public Hearing regarding an unincorporated Cook County property near the Village border taking place September 23, 2026. This was in addition to a previous post by the Village on September 15th.
Information currently available regarding the September 23rd public hearing include:
Minutes from the Zoning Board Hearing have been posted and state only that testimony was taken.
Audio recordings from the September 28th Barrington Hills Board of Trustees meeting (found here) reveal that apparently objections to the application, as well as the application itself, were not sufficiently made available to the public to review prior to the September 23rd hearing. Therefore, continuation of the hearing was postponed until (at least) January 2027.
Further, it was not decided it additional objections would be admissible in to the record considering original objections were not fully made public. If additional comments/objections are allowed, we will notify readers.
Posted in Aunt Blabby, Cook, County, FPDCC, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, Traffic, VBHPD on October 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Per the Village of Barrington Hills website:
“The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (CCDOTH) has notified the Village of Barrington Hills of upcoming resurfacing work on Old Sutton Road, a County-maintained roadway, between Dundee Road and County Line Road.
This Cook County project may begin as early as Monday, October 26, 2026.
Weather permitting, the construction, being completed by Builders Paving is expected to proceed as follows:
One lane of traffic will remain open during daytime construction activities, with flaggers directing motorists through the work zone. Both lanes will reopen during non-working hours.
Access for residents and emergency vehicles will be maintained throughout construction. However, motorists should anticipate potential delays and allow additional travel time when traveling through the area.
Cook County is responsible for managing this roadway improvement project. Residents with questions or concerns about the work should contact Cook County’s project representative, Brian Cameron, at Brian.Cameron@mbakerintl.com.
The Village of Barrington Hills appreciates Cook County’s investment in improving our local roadways and thanks residents for their patience and cooperation during construction.”
Posted in BACOG, Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Tribune, Cook, County, Daily Caller, Elections, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics, Springfield on October 19, 2026| 1 Comment »
State Rep. Martin “Marty” McLaughlin and State Sen. Darby Hills are endorsed by the Chicago Tribune and a very large number of Mayors in their respective Districts. The Barrington Hills Observer is honored to add our endorsement to that list.
Early voting begins today for the November 3, 2026 General Election. Polling locations by county are:
For general voting information, visit the Cook, Kane, Lake or McHenry County Clerk’s website(s).
Related: “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District,” “Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District”
Posted in Cook, County, Democratic Socialists of America, Elections, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Overhead, Politics, Preckwinkle's Rules of Order, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on October 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By Bryce Hill | Illinois Policy Institute
An advisory referendum on the Nov. 3 general election ballot will gauge Cook County voters’ support for a statewide income tax increase on millionaires.
The results are non-binding, so the vote will not trigger any policy change.
Cook County voters will be asked:
“Shall Illinois adopt the Millionaire Amendment for Property Tax Relief and Education, which would enact a 3% income tax surcharge only on millionaires and use 50% of this new revenue to provide property tax relief for residential and commercial taxpayers and 50% to improve state funding for public education?”
The ballot language is similar to a constitutional amendment that failed in the Illinois House earlier this year and a previous statewide ballot question from 2024. However, notably absent from the Cook County ballot question is language that specifies the additional 3% income tax would be only on income above $1 million rather than on all income for a taxpayer whose income tops $1 million. A 2019 proposal from Gov. J.B. Pritzker was widely criticized because it would have raised the state income tax to 7.95% from 4.95% on all income of a taxpayer whose income topped $1 million.
Proponents of the push to scrap Illinois’ constitutionally protected flat income tax say the increased revenue would provide property tax relief. However, previous analysis of the proposal and Illinois’ state finances shows the massive tax hike would come up more than $2 billion short of being able to provide Illinoisans with any such relief.
That’s because the state projects future budget shortfalls in excess of $3.8 billion, and the current pension funding plan shorts contributions by more than $5 billion, according to the plan’s own actuaries.
Report continues here.
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Board of Education, CBS News, Cook, County, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Ethics, FOIA, FUBAR, Guest Essay, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Open Meetings Act, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on October 16, 2026| 6 Comments »
Image courtesy 10.14.26 Barrington 220 School District Facebook post
A follow-up to “A Polling Place for Some”
The law requires certain actions before any early voting site can operate, including official lists that are supposed to show the public where and when it can vote. Barrington High School isn’t on any of them.
Illinois’ early voting statute, 10 ILCS 5/19A-25, is short and clear. The election authority, here the Cook County Clerk, must:
Subsection (e) covers sites added after the schedule is published:
“Additional temporary locations may be established after the schedule is published, provided that the location is open to all eligible voters. The location, dates, and hours shall be reported to the State Board of Elections and posted on the election authority’s website.”
Open to all eligible voters, reported to the State Board, and posted on the Clerk’s website. From what we’ve been able to determine, Barrington High’s site fails each of these on the public record.
The Cook County Clerk’s Early Voting Locations page on October 15, 2026, the day after the District announced the BHS voting site, says limited early voting for the November 3 election began October 7 at six Vote Centers, and that expanded early voting begins October 19 at 56 suburban locations. The page lists courthouses, village halls, libraries, community centers, and a few college and school campuses, all open to the public. It does not list Barrington High School, and it does not mention a high school early voting day. https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/ways-to-vote/early-voting/early-voting-locations
The District posted on October 14 that BHS hosted the site “today.” On that date, according to the Clerk’s own page, early voting in suburban Cook County was limited to six sites: the Clerk’s downtown office and the courthouses in Rolling Meadows, Skokie, Maywood, Bridgeview, and Markham. The nearest public site for a Barrington voter was the Rolling Meadows courthouse. The site at BHS appears nowhere on the public schedule.
Similarly, Barrington High School is not on the State Board of Elections’ list of 2026 General Election early voting locations for Cook County, which is built from what election authorities report under subsections (e) and (f). The only Barrington-area entry is Barrington Hills Village Hall, 112 Algonquin Road, which doesn’t open until October 19. https://www.elections.il.gov/votingandregistrationsystems/earlyvotinglocationssearch.aspx
By the District’s own description, the site was for “eligible BHS students and staff who are Cook County voters.” A Cook County retiree living down the street from the school, a veteran, a parent: none of them were invited, and none of them could have known to come, because the BHS site wasn’t on any schedule. That is the opposite of “open to all eligible voters.”
The Clerk’s own training materials make the same point. The 2026 High School Early Voting Handbook, which the Clerk’s Office prepared for the student election judges, opens by stating the general rule: “A suburban Cook County registered voter can vote early at any of the suburban Cook County Early Voting sites.” Nothing in the Handbook says a high school site may be limited to the school’s own students and staff.
And, the Handbook is no rulebook for this fall’s General Election sites. Its cover reads “2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election,” and its calendar lists a “Primary High School Early Voting Day” of February 26, 2026, but no high school voting day for the November 3 General Election. As far as the public record shows, the high school sites that operated this October were run without any published procedures specific to them. https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/hs-ev-handbook-2026.pdf
Image courtesy 10.14.26 Barrington 220 School District Facebook post
In fairness, the Handbook doesn’t bar pollwatchers. However, the Handbook never mentions a fall high school voting day. The Handbook advises judges that credentialed pollwatchers, media and exit pollsters may enter the site for the Primary Election. And, in fact, the media seems to have been made aware of the polling as there is coverage from CBS on Cook County “transform(ing) 27 suburban high schools into early voting sites for a ‘Teen Takeover for Democracy’ event … transform(ing) high schools into early voting sites to help eligible students vote.” https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cook-county-high-schools-early-voting-students/
But a right to observe means little if no one (except CBS) knows where or when to show up. A pollwatcher’s credential has to name the specific early voting site. If a site isn’t on the Clerk’s schedule, isn’t on the State Board’s list, and is announced by the school district only on the day it happens, no party, candidate, or civic group can realistically get a credential for it and get through the door of a secured school building. The Handbook says nothing about how an outside pollwatcher is supposed to get into a high school during the school day.
We’re not mind readers, and there may be an explanation. If so, the Clerk’s Office should give it publicly:
These aren’t partisan questions. The notice rules in 19A-25 protect every voter and every campaign equally. They exist so that no one, whether the Clerk, a school district, or anyone else, can set up a polling place that only the privileged few know about.
Perhaps a Freedom of Information Act request to District 220 and the Cook County Clerk’s Office for the published early voting schedules and newspaper notices, the reports to the State Board of Elections, the list of high school sites and dates for this election, and any agreement with the Chicago Bears would provide some insight.
Related: “A Polling Place for Some: Barrington High School’s Invitation-Only Early Voting”
Posted in Commodius Maximus, Cook, Cost of Living, County, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, John Kass News, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Wirepoints on October 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By Paul Vallas | John Kass News
October 11th, 2026
Illinois leadership is sustaining policies that have done nothing to improve equity or affordability while swapping out middle- and upper-income families for the poor and illegal migrants.
JB Pritzker’s greatest legacy will be the acceleration of the “Great Displacement,” the demographic upheaval in which Illinois is losing scores of affluent residents through outmigration while gaining relatively poorer ones through both interstate and international migration.
This shift is largely the product of the state’s so-called progressive policies. High taxes and fees remain the primary reason Illinoisans cite for leaving, followed by failing schools, rising crime, limited economic opportunity, and expansive sanctuary measures that encourage low-income in-migration.
According to Wirepoints, Illinois continues to hemorrhage wealthy residents. Since 2000, the state has lost roughly 1.6 million people — third most in the nation, behind only California and New York. Chicago’s population, even with the recent influx of migrants, is now at its lowest level in nearly a century. Almost every county in Illinois has experienced a decline in population. Even more troubling, Illinois isn’t merely losing residents — it’s losing income. [1]
The IRS reports that in 2022 alone, 87,311 residents left Illinois, taking with them $9.9 billion in adjusted gross income. The real damage runs deeper: The outflow disproportionately includes residents in their prime earning and spending years. This brain and income drain erodes the tax base, shrinking critical property, sales, and consumption tax revenues that support state and local budgets. [2]
A detailed Wirepoints analysis of IRS migration data for 2022 shows Illinois was the nation’s second-biggest loser of households aged 26-35 earning more than $200,000. Unsurprisingly, zero-income-tax states such as Florida and Texas were the leading destinations for these upwardly mobile millennials. Illinois has been bleeding this cohort for more than a decade, but the acceleration is alarming. [3]
Wirepoints also found that in 2022, the average adjusted gross income for these departing young households was $435,000. The exodus continues among those aged 35-45 with incomes over $200,000 — another key demographic of high earners. Illinois ranks 48th nationally for losses in this income bracket. More concerning, the average AGI among this group leaving approaches $700,000. [4]
Vallas’ report continues here.
Paul Vallas formerly ran the public school systems in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Louisiana Recovery School District. He was a candidate for Mayor of Chicago.
Posted in Aunt Blabby, Cook, County, IDOT, Look For The Union Label, Press Release, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, School Districts, Taxes, Traffic on September 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that culvert repairs at the intersection of Illinois 59 and Dundee Road (Illinois 68), in Barrington Hills, will begin, weather permitting, Wednesday, Sept. 30.
To complete the work, daytime lane closures will be required approaching the intersection. At least one lane will remain open in both directions during the construction.
The project is anticipated to be completed in November.
The public can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Alternate routes are encouraged. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment.
Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve 7,107 lane miles of highway and 8.4 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Accomplishments through Year Seven of Rebuild Illinois include $25.6 billion of improvements statewide to 24,498 lane miles of highway, 959 bridges and 1,475 additional safety improvements.
For more information on IDOT projects, click here. Find traffic and road conditions at www.gettingaroundillinois.com. You also can follow IDOT on Facebook and X.
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