Wilmette School District to Assess Cost of Lawsuit

Wilmette School District 39 today announced Tuesday they will be assessing the financial costs of their recent lawsuit filed by Herbert Sorock and Taxpayers United of America (TUA).

School Board President Karen Donnan said in a press release, "The Board has asked Superintendent Ray Lechner for a complete accounting of all money spent in defense of this lawsuit, and we will be considering our options for recouping these costs."

The lawsuit, dismissed on June 23 by Judge Rita Novak, claimed D39 had misled voters by using illegal ballot language in April's tax hike referendum. Sorock and TUA claimed that in describing the property tax increase, D39 failed to include the state equalizer which would have listed the additional tax amount as $198.16 for a $100,000 home, rather than the $58.80 as written on the ballot.

, saying "there was no error in terms of construing the statute when this language was placed on the ballot."

. Filed by TUA, the lawsuit also accused D97 of failing to use the state equalizer in its April tax increase referendum.

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