Yorkville Votes on Half-Percent Sales Tax Increase for Transit Expansion

Yorkville residents will vote on November 3, 2026, on a ballot measure that authorizes a permanent 0.5 percentage point increase in the municipal sales tax dedicated to public transit. The proposal appears as Measure T on the ballot and applies to all taxable retail sales within city limits.

The referendum comes forward now because the city's current five-year transit funding agreement expires at the end of fiscal year 2027. Without new revenue, the Yorkville Transit Authority's capital replacement schedule shows 42 buses reaching the end of their service life by 2029.

Effects on household budgets and daily travel

Shoppers at stores along Main Street and the Yorkville Mall would see the higher rate applied at checkout starting January 1, 2027. A household with $800 in monthly taxable purchases would pay an additional $48 annually under the new rate. In return, the transit authority projects that Route 12 and Route 7 would add evening and weekend trips by the second quarter of 2028.

City budget documents for fiscal year 2026 list current transit operating costs at $18.4 million, with sales tax revenue covering 31 percent of that amount. The additional half-cent is projected to generate $6.2 million in its first full year, according to the finance department's March 2026 revenue estimate.

Next steps after the vote

If Measure T passes, the Yorkville City Council must adopt an implementing ordinance within 30 days of certification. The tax would then appear on sales tax returns filed by retailers for the January 2027 reporting period. Transit Authority staff have stated that the first new buses ordered with the revenue would enter service no earlier than the third quarter of 2028.

Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters by October 10, 2026. The county elections office will begin counting results on election night and expects to certify the outcome by November 20, 2026.