Lt. Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal for an advisory referendum was turned down at Wednesday’s meeting of the DeKalb County Administrative Services Committee.

The purpose of the referendum was to ask Illinois voters if people with an income of more than $250,000 should be taxed an additional 3 percent to increase funding for public schools.

For homeowners with an income of less than $250,000, the increase would mean $207 in savings.

About 210 individuals in DeKalb County make more than $250,000, and about 17,480 make less than $250,000.

“It is being advertised as property taxpayer relief, and that people are going to get money back,” said committee chairperson Sue Leifheit. “$207 is not really taxpayer relief, but if it sparks debate then it has some merit.”

Some members of the committee said putting the referendum on the ballot will not matter to the Illinois legislature.

The committee voted against the advisory referendum for two main reasons. The committee agreed that the legislature would not take the people’s vote seriously, and that it would distract concern from the jail referendum.

“We have a referendum to ask voters for a half-of-a-cent sales tax increase for public safety,” said deputy county administrator Gary Hanson. “It’s to build and expand the current jail, add programs for alternatives to detention, to keep people out of jail and to pay staff to operate the expanded jail.”

The jail referendum is important to the whole community, Hanson said.

“We don’t want to take any focus off the jail referendum,” said Roger Steimel, member of the Administrative Services Committee. “We don’t want to mud the waters or give any reason for negative thoughts.”

The committee voted to send the advisory referendum to the Public Policy Committee to be added as a legislative agenda item to then go to the DeKalb County Board.

If the proposal was approved, it would have been on the March 16 primary ballot. The county board has until Jan. 12 to submit an advisory referendum resolution for that election.