EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — Some people in Effingham are voicing their opinions by putting pen to paper.

After a referendum for a new sales tax failed in November, the Effingham School District passed a resolution this spring funding a $55 million total investment into district projects, including a new K-2nd grade building and more.

But, it raises property taxes by 8-13%. An Illinois House Bill signed in September last year removed the referendum requirement in certain scenarios.

“We feel like this should really go to the voters and not just the school board deciding to raise taxes,” said resident Lisa Tegeler.

Basically, it allows school boards to approve resolutions for new school buildings targeting pre-K and kindergarten spaces. But now, some concerned community members are trying to get it on the ballot and possibly remove it.

“And I just think that’s wrong — that just because they can, it doesn’t mean they should,” Tegeler said.

A petition currently has more than 1,300 signatures so far, including from Kristin Arnold and Dennis Haarman who both signed Tuesday afternoon.

“I think that this balance should go to the people of Effingham,” Arnold said. “I don’t think that the school board should be making a decision like this one, especially when it affects our properties tax.”

Haarman shares a similar sentiment on the issue.

“We the people need to vote, not the school board. You know that. That’s not right. It’s bogus,” he said.

Tegeler is a volunteer collecting signatures.

“In 2024, we wouldn’t even have this conversation, because that’s when it changed — with Pritzker signing something into the law, the back door referendum. So before this, they would have had to put it on the ballot for the voters to vote on,” Tegeler said.

If the petition gets more than 10% of the voter roll — or 1,500 total signatures, the resolution will have to wait until the primary election in March next year.

“I don’t know what will happen to us if we don’t do it,” said Effingham Superintendent Andrew Johnson.

The resolution would pay for a new K-2nd grade building, a new high school parking lot, a grade school library renovation and expanded daycare in the district.

“At some point, those types of things are going to have to happen and you know, somebody’s going to have to pay for it,” Johnson added.

Johnson said the reason why it wasn’t re-submitted as a referendum to begin with is because of how it would impact the project’s timeline.

“If the petitions are successful, then we’re going to be back at the drawing board and it does put everything on hold,” he said. “Our board has put almost every expense that we’re putting into the planning of what these new facilities look like and what we would be able to do on hold until we would know that we do have the opportunity to be able to execute what we’ve been planning.”

But for Tegeler and hundreds of others, they want people to get a chance to decide.

“Come out to sign the petition, whether you’re for it or against it,” Tegeler said. “You should really go to the voters to decide whether we’ve jacked up the prices that much.”

Johnson said the deadline for this petition is June 23rd. Organizers in support of the petition said there will be daily sign-ups by the Shelby Realty building in town.