Over the next six weeks, DuPage County voters will decide whether to raise property taxes to help the forest preserve district maintain and expand the property it owns.
Thursday marked the start of early voting for the November general election in DuPage and in addition to national and local races, DuPage ballots will include a referendum from the county’s forest preserve district seeking a tax increase to bolster its funding.
If approved, the measure would allow the forest preserve district to extend a 0.0350% higher 2024 property tax levy than would be allowed under state tax caps. For property owners, the hike would translate to an additional $11.67 on their tax bills per $100,000 of home value, the district says.
As a result, the district would received about $17 million more in annual revenue, Executive Director Karie Friling said.
The additional funding will allow the district to purchase more land in coming years, complete several projects, and maintain its current level of programming and services, Friling said. Without the requested tax hike, those goals cannot be met and a reduction in operations might be needed, the district says.
The district has identified 250 acres of land across the county that it would like to purchase over the next decade with the additional funds. That’s a priority because it wants to preserve as much remaining open space in the county as possible before it is developed, officials said.
“DuPage County is significantly built out, but we know that there are still a few parcels of vacant land left that have not been developed on,” Friling said. “We know as a district that if we do not take action, (that land) will be lost forever.”
Asked where the district is looking to buy, Friling said they’re keeping those locations “confidential at this time.”
Another priority for the district is the completion of its 2019 Master Plan. Only about half of the 32 capital projects listed in the plan are finished, Friling said. Projects on tap include prairie and grassland restoration at Naperville’s 1,829-acre Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve.
An increase in revenue also will ensure the district is able to continue providing the services that it does “to make sure we have clean air, clean water and great outdoor spaces,” Friling said.
Generally, the district’s operating budget is subject to the state’s Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. Under PTELL, taxing bodies are limited to an annual increase in their property tax extensions of either 5% or the previous year’s Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.
With that cap, the district would be able to increase its 2024 levy over the year before by 3.4% at the most, Filing said. The referendum would essentially remove that limiting rate if approved, Friling said.
Since 2020, the district has extended at a flat rate, resulting in an annual property tax levy of about $51.3 million over the past four years. Asked why the district has refrained from levying up to the state tax cap in recent years to bolster its revenue, Friling said it was a function of the district wanting to stay prudent while residents recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
But as the district looked ahead, needs and priorities changed. Visitorship, for instance, saw an uptick during the pandemic as people flocked to the outdoors. Today, the district is averaging about 5.5 million visitors a year. Prior to COVID, it was averaging about 3 million annual visitors. The district is also facing rising costs, Friling said.
Should the district’s referendum pass, Friling said, “We are pretty confident … it will sustain us for another decade or two,” which will keep the district from repeatedly “going back to taxpayers to ask for more money.”
Through Oct. 19, in-person early voting will be available in DuPage County from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays at a handful of locations, including the Naperville Municipal Center at 400 S. Eagle St.