Residents working on putting a referendum on the April ballot regarding video gaming may have been headed off at the pass.
On Nov. 8, former village commissioner, Mark Hosty filed petitions with Forest Village Clerk Vanessa Moritz to put three advisory referendum questions on the April 8 ballot, which is the maximum allowed, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The three questions are:
Should the Village of Forest Park restrict tobacco sales to only those persons over the age of 21?
Should the Village of Forest Park use the estimated $200,000 in future video gaming license revenue to lower property taxes on residents?
Should the Village of Forest Park work to remove the Forest Park students from Proviso High School District 209?
Hosty’s effort to put referendums on the ballot comes at a time when another group in Forest Park has been working to gather signatures to put a binding referendum on the April ballot regarding the issue of video gaming in the village. The issue has generated strong debate from residents for and against the issue and now efforts to put a referendum on the ballot in the spring may be pre-empted because there is a limit of three for each election. Numerous individuals were out gathering signatures at polling places in Forest Park on Election Day.
When contacted, Hosty, who manages Healy’s Westside, had no comment.
