River North Voters Face Three Ballot Measures in November: What Each One Would Change for Residents

Three ballot measures are headed to River North voters on November 3, and the decisions residents make that day will directly shape property tax bills, bus service frequency, and the condition of neighborhood parks for at least the next decade. The River North Municipal Council certified all three measures for the ballot on July 1, following a 60-day public comment period that drew more than 400 written submissions. Each measure requires a simple majority to pass, with the exception of Measure C, a general obligation bond that needs two-thirds approval under the city charter.

The timing matters. River North's current capital infrastructure fund expires at the end of fiscal year 2026, meaning the city will enter 2027 without a dedicated source of money for road resurfacing, park maintenance, or bus shelter replacement unless voters authorize new revenue. City budget documents filed with the municipal clerk on June 15 show the fund held $2.3 million as of May 31, against an estimated $8.7 million in deferred maintenance obligations. That gap is the practical backdrop against which all three measures are being considered.

What Each Measure Would Do

Measure A is a proposed 0.15 percent increase to the city's property transfer tax, applied each time a property changes hands. The city finance office projects the increase would generate approximately $1.1 million annually, based on the average of 740 residential and commercial transactions recorded in River North each year between 2022 and 2025. For a home sold at the current River North median price of $387,000, the additional tax at closing would be $580. The revenue would be restricted by ordinance to road resurfacing on streets classified as residential collectors, a category that includes Oak Terrace Drive and the Millbrook corridor.

Measure B would authorize the River North Transit Authority to redirect $4.2 million in existing vehicle-registration fee revenue, currently split between road repair and general operations, entirely toward bus route expansion. The authority has identified two routes, the Route 12 North Loop and a proposed Route 19 crosstown connector, as the first to receive additional service hours if the measure passes. Current Route 12 headways during off-peak hours run to 45 minutes; the authority says the policy will reduce that to 20 minutes by the second quarter of 2027. Residents who do not own a car, roughly 18 percent of River North households according to the 2023 American Community Survey, would see the most direct benefit.

Measure C, the parks bond, is the largest and the most procedurally demanding. It would authorize the city to issue $14 million in general obligation bonds to fund renovations at Riverside Community Park, the Northgate Recreation Center, and four neighborhood pocket parks along the Elm Street corridor. Bond repayment, projected at $950,000 per year over 20 years at an assumed 4.5 percent interest rate, would be levied as a property tax surcharge estimated at $47 annually for a property assessed at $300,000. The bond framework, detailed in the June 15 budget filing, requires annual independent audits of spending.

How Residents Can Prepare Before November

The River North City Clerk's Office will mail voter information pamphlets to all registered addresses by September 15. The pamphlets will include the full text of each measure, fiscal analyses prepared by the independent Budget Review Panel, and official arguments submitted by registered proponent and opponent committees. Residents can also attend one of three public town halls scheduled for August 7, August 21, and September 10 at the River North Civic Center, 400 Central Avenue. Registration is not required to attend.

Early voting opens October 20 at the Civic Center and two satellite locations, the Millbrook Branch Library and the Northgate Community Hall. Voters who need to request a mail ballot must do so by October 13 under state election code. The city's voter registration deadline for the November 3 election is October 4. Residents with questions about ballot eligibility can contact the clerk's office at (555) 740-2200 or through the city's official website.