Some disagree over Park District’s ‘no tax increase’ phrasing
HUNTLEY – Plans for a March 2014 referendum regarding new facilities for the Huntley Park District are moving forward, but they no longer include outdoor swim lanes.
The removal of the lanes from the list of proposed items leaves the multi-sport indoor turf facility with recreation and bocce ball courts as the sole proposed facility.
Huntley Park District Executive Director Thom Palmer said the Park District Board deemed it unwise to spend the money on outdoor lanes now, when it may have the resources and means to afford an indoor swimming facility down the road.
“It’s better to wait on that until the funding, the opportunity, and perhaps even a partnership are available down the line,” Palmer said.
An indoor swimming facility was the most wanted item indicated by a 2011 resident survey, but Palmer explained the capital costs alone would be too high and not affordable while still lowering the district’s tax levy. An indoor turf facility ranked seventh on the list, but Palmer defended its construction, saying it would serve many residents of all ages and would be self-sustaining as far as maintenance and staffing costs.
“What the park board has to consider at that point is what facility is feasible to build and that would serve the most individuals in the district and also to eliminate due to cost what some of the other ones are,” he said.
Early visions of the turf facility are inspired by similar existing facilities in DeKalb and the Northwest suburbs. Huntley’s facility is envisioned as containing two soccer fields and a 250’x250′ turf room with a rubberized track around the perimeter. The turf area could be used for softball, soccer, lacrosse and other sports, with Palmer mentioning the possibility of year-round softball games for Sun City leagues.
A recreation area would include four to eight turf strips measuring 13’x76′ for bocce ball, baggo, and other games. An upper level area would offer concessions and room for spectators.
Capital costs for the facility are estimated at $16 million. Palmer said an additional $2 million would be included on the referendum for future land acquisition and another estimated $750,000 for development of the land.
A sample operating budget provided by the Park District and again estimated based on existing facilities backs Palmer’s claim that the facility will be self-sustaining and will not cause an increase in the district’s tax levy over current rates.
Total revenues of the facility after membership fees and facility rentals total an estimated $230,496 per year. Expenses, including full- and part-time staffing, maintenance, marketing, equipment and officials, utility bills, and maintenance costs, total an estimated $199,049. This leaves an estimated annual surplus of $31,447. It’s a surplus Palmer called “conservative” as the electric bill could be lower than the estimated $23,349 currently on the budget.
Some residents are critical of the idea that a new facility would not make for a tax increase and would rather see the Park District’s levy be lowered even further without new facilities being constructed. A $20 million referendum is expected to bring the Park District’s property tax levy down 10 percent from current levels for a $250,000 home by 2017.
“It’s a matter of semantics whether you say this is a tax increase,” Sun City resident Herm Faubl said.
Faubl also disagreed with the survey’s validity, calling the results given by the 413 residents who responded out of the 2,000 invited “self selected.” Faubl maintained that those who did respond were the most likely to want new facilities and services from the Park District.
“If they had interviewed 413 people and each of those had given their response then that would have been a statistically sound result,” he said.
Palmer and Readex Research, who conducted the survey, defend the survey’s validity on the basis that the 2,000 asked to answer the survey were randomly selected from the 11,881 homes located in various municipalities that are served by the Huntley Park District. They add that the respondents’ 21 percent response rate gave them a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent.
Residents interested in voicing their opinions on the referendum can do so at the Park District Board meeting on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in the North Classroom of the Huntley REC Center.
