AFP-IL Finds Statewide Pattern of Taxpayer-Funded Referendum Campaigning, Urges Investigation

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Americans for Prosperity–Illinois (AFP-IL) today announces it sent a letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Will County State’s Attorneys requesting an immediate, coordinated statewide investigation into whether 24 local governments across Illinois used taxpayer money to fund consulting aimed at passing tax and bond referendums. 

AFP-IL Deputy State Director Brian Costin issued the following statement: 

“These aren’t just AFP’s allegations, they’re the public officials’ own words, explaining how consultants are helping them win specific tax-hike votes – that’s a taxpayer-funded campaign to raise your taxes. 

“This isn’t one district. It’s 24 local governments in four counties, all describing the same kind of work, all funded via taxpayers. That pattern demands a coordinated statewide response from Attorney General Raoul. Illinois taxpayers deserve to know whether their own tax dollars were used in a campaign for even more taxes.” 

The request follows AFP-IL’s review of client testimonials published by referendum consulting firm Beyond Your Base, in which 24 senior public officials — including school superintendents, fire chiefs, park district executives, and a library director — credited the firm with helping “build support,” “turn community support into voter action,” and “pass” specific tax-increase and bond measures. Based on those testimonials, AFP-IL filed ethics complaints against all 24 local governments.  

The 24 Illinois public bodies spanning Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will Counties, whose officials are quoted crediting Beyond Your Base with helping pass referendums represent a projected $3.4 billion in tax collections: $2.2 billion in bonds, $955 million in modeled interest payments, and an estimated $293 million from two ongoing rate measures over 25 years. 

BACKGROUND: 

Illinois law prohibits local governments from spending public funds to urge voters to approve a referendum, including hiring a consultant to do so. Public bodies may pay for neutral, factual information — but not persuasion. AFP-IL’s letter argues that several of the testimonials describe exactly that kind of prohibited advocacy, regardless of how the underlying contracts were labeled. 

AFP-IL’s letter asks Attorney General Raoul to direct the Public Integrity Bureau to review the evidence, coordinate with State’s Attorneys, and identify the appropriate investigative or prosecutorial path for each matter.  

The letter also flags nine other Illinois referendum-consulting firms — including Creative Entourage/Discovery Works Collaborative, EO Sullivan Consulting, Cor Strategies, aQity Research & Insights, and Captivate Media + Consulting — as part of a broader statewide market for referendum services warranting the same scrutiny.