Tri-Creek School Corporation — Operating Referendum (Lake County)

What it does

Shall Tri-Creek School Corporation increase property taxes paid to the school corporation for no more than eight (8) years for the purpose of replacing lost property tax revenue, funding bus transportation, student programs, and school safety by imposing a property tax rate that does not exceed seventeen and thirty-eight hundredths cents ($0.1738) and results in a maximum annual amount that does not exceed three million dollars ($3,000,000)? If this operating referendum public question is approved by the voters, for a median residence of $300,000, the property’s annual property tax bill would increase by $245 per year. The most recent operating referendum public question proposed by the school corporation was held in 2023 and failed.

A YES vote means

Tri-Creek School Corporation would raise property taxes for up to eight years, at a rate of up to $0.1738 and no more than $3,000,000 a year, to fund replacing lost property tax revenue, bus transportation, student programs and school safety; a median $300,000 home's yearly tax bill would rise by $245.

A NO vote means

Tri-Creek School Corporation would not raise property taxes for this purpose.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

Tri-Creek's Board of School Trustees adopted Resolution #2026-04 on June 16, 2026, according to the board secretary's certification filed with the state. The resolution asks for an operating referendum on the November 3 ballot.

A revised June 23, 2026 memo from the corporation allocates the expected revenue as $1,539,668 for student programs, $1,040,263 for bus transportation, $419,112 for school safety, and $957 as Discovery Charter School's share.

As the ballot language notes, the corporation's 2023 operating referendum failed.

Put on the ballot by Tri-Creek School Corporation Board of School Trustees, June 16, 2026 (Resolution #2026-04; tally not stated in the filed certification).

From official source 1, official source 2, official source 3.

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on Lake County ballots

• School City of Whiting — Operating Referendum
• Crown Point Community Schools — Operating Referendum
• River Forest Community School Corporation — Operating Referendum (Extension)

All Lake County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Tri-Creek School Corporation mean?

Tri-Creek School Corporation would raise property taxes for up to eight years, at a rate of up to $0.1738 and no more than $3,000,000 a year, to fund replacing lost property tax revenue, bus transportation, student programs and school safety; a median $300,000 home's yearly tax bill would rise by $245.

What does a NO vote on Tri-Creek School Corporation mean?

Tri-Creek School Corporation would not raise property taxes for this purpose.

How many votes does Tri-Creek School Corporation need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on Tri-Creek School Corporation?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.