Robbins residents will vote on a 0.450% property tax increase to the Park District portion of their tax bill to go toward playgrounds and a new multipurpose recreation facility.
The Robbins Park District is requesting the 0.450% property tax increase above the limiting rate for levy year 2022, which would bring the total property tax the district collects to 0.676%. If approved, taxpayers would pay about $132 a year for a $100,000 home, according to the referendum.
Park District Executive Director Kendall Parrott said the board envisions expanding physical facilities as well as creating more open space for playgrounds and potentially building a multipurpose facility.
Parrott said this is the first referendum he recalls the park district presenting to voters, saying the board voted 3-0 in December to put the question on the ballot.
The Robbins Park District is in litigation after three candidates were elected for only two available seats in the 2023 election. While the three candidates were sworn in last month, as the board considers expanding, only three members of the board voted for the referendum.
Parrott said he wasn’t “going to entertain” questions about the status of the board when it voted for the referendum.
Angela Murphy-Watts, one of the board members sworn in last month, said she couldn’t comment on the referendum because she wasn’t on the board when it was approved and hasn’t received information about it. The remaining board members did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The referendum would help build three, maybe four, parks throughout the community, Parrott said. Park officials have identified a few parcels of land, particularly on the west side of the village, and have seen preliminary designs for the parks, he said.
“If the residents support this, then of course at that time we will meet with the residents in the various communities to see what they would like in this particular park area for the kids in which they live. There would be community input into the design of the playgrounds as well,” Parrott said.
Park officials would also use referendum funds to build a multipurpose recreation facility, Parrott said, which would include a basketball court, meeting rooms and a small banquet area with a modern design and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
The Park District owns a few parcels of land, Parrott said, but where to open the facility “is ongoing discussion,” Parrott said. Conceptual designs haven’t been prepared, he said.
Parrott said park officials hope facility construction could begin this fall.
If the referendum doesn’t pass, Parrott said officials will look for other sources of funding for the parks and recreation facility.
“Sometimes it’s very difficult to consider raising taxes, but this is only for the Park District portion of their tax bill, and to look at this as not a tax increase but an investment in the future of the community and the growth of the park district,” Parrott said.
akukulka@chicagotribune.com