Farmers Weekly Review

By Nick Reiher

Commissioners of the Forest Preserve District Board will vote at its June 13 meeting whether to secure the option of selling up to $50 million in bonds for land acquisition and capital projects.

Following a lengthy public hearing on June 6, the board’s Finance Committee voted 6-1 to recommend the full board approve the proposal.

Most of the public hearing was taken up by Executive Director Ralph Schultz and Tracy Chapman, Deputy Director and Public Safety Administrator, reading in to the record 201 emails sent to the district regarding the bond issue.

Most of the emails asked commissioners not to approve the bond issue request, which they were led to believe by Commissioner Mark Revis of Plainfield through a social media network would increase their property taxes.

This despite Schultz describing the plan would decrease the Forest Preserve’s portion of taxes on residents’ bills. Because a bond sale would take place after current bonds are soon retired, he said, the owner of a $300,000 home would see a drop in the year’s amount of taxes to the district from $116 to $95 if the full $50 million in bonds were sold.

Schultz explained if no bonds were sold, those same district residents would pay about $86 a year, saving an additional $9 a year. A few projects still would be able to be done if no bonds were sold, but much of the other work would maintain the 23,000 acres the district oversees now.

If the board approves the plan, staff would sell only enough bonds to cover its plans, and only if the economy is suitable for a sale, Schultz said. While commissioners would not need to vote on expenditures, they would be made aware of specific projects as they come up, he added.

If approved, the bond issue would allow the Forest Preserve District to, according to a presentation by Schultz:

• Dedicate $25 million to preserve 1,000-1,250 acres in perpetuity.
• Dedicate $12 million to make critical regional and local trail connections, provide new points of access into nature and enhance their visitor centers.
• Dedicate $13 million to restore 2,500 acres of habitat providing for clean water, clean air and increased biodiversity.

Forest Preserve officials figure with the amount of development going on, it would be good to acquire additional preserves, as well as take care of and improve what they have.

Commissioner Julie Berkowicz of Naperville agreed, saying not investing further into the district could cause taxes to rise ultimately.

If the district doesn’t acquire the open land, she said, it likely would become sites for more subdivisions, meaning higher taxes for police, fire, maintenance and, especially schools, which are the highest amounts on people’s tax bills.

At the May Forest Preserve Board meeting, Revis, who at that time voted against even holding a public hearing on the issue, promised there would be many people from his district at the June 6 hearing to voice their opposition to what he insisted was a tax increase.

But there was only one man from Romeoville in the audience who commented, saying his property taxes had increased $3,000 since he bought the home more than a decade ago.

At the June 6 Finance Committee meeting, Commissioner Frankie Pretzel of New Lenox said he would not support the bond issue proposal if it raised taxes. Since it actually would lower what residents pay toward the district, he chastised Revis for leading so many residents to believe their taxes would increase.

“I feel those people have been given the wrong information,” he said.

Despite similar comments from other commissioners, Revis held fast to his belief it would actually amount to a tax increase.

After grilling Schultz on the finer points of the issue just before the vote, Revis gleaned that the bond issue is optional and would put debt on Forest Preserve District taxpayers for the 20-year term of the issue.

“And I don’t appreciate comments that I have not been truthful,” he added.

The Forest Preserve District Board will consider the issue at its June 13 meeting at 9 a.m. in the second-floor board room of the Will County Office Building, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet.

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.