Naperville Park District’s proposed budget calls for a 6.9% increase in property taxes, a bump that could translate into the average taxpayer paying about $28 more next year, district officials estimate.
The Naperville Park Board will review the proposal at its meeting Thursday, where members are expected to vote on a $26 million levy request and an overall 2025 budget of more than $53.2 million.
District officials want to levy more than last year to help offset the rising cost of goods, services and equipment and to support a growing need for inclusion services, according to Executive Director Brad Wilson.
“Costs are continuing to increase year over year at a much faster pace than what we see with inflation,” Wilson said.
For example, the cost of plants and flowers is 13% higher than it was in 2023, he said. There’s been an average 11% increase over last year in the cost for park supplies, including everything from paint to garbage bags. Janitorial supply costs are 4% to 10% higher than they were in 2023 and the price for bus transportation — a service the district needs for its day camp program — has grown by 21% to 25%, according to Wilson.
The district also is seeing a greater need for more special recreation and inclusion support funding. Through a partnership with the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, the district offers special accommodations for individuals with disabilities across regular park programming.
There is no charge for the inclusion support, which has been in high demand, Wilson said.
During the course of summer 2023, for instance, the district had 317 program participants use inclusion services. That number climbed to 390 in 2024, a year-to-year jump of about 23%. There are costs associated with providing those services, and they have been factored into the district’s levy request this year, Wilson said.
If approved, the average Naperville taxpayer with a home valued at $470,000 would pay an estimated $442 to the district — about $28 more than they’re currently paying. Even with the increase, the property tax amount earmarked for the park district represents only about 5% of the overall bill, which is consistent with years past, Finance Director Sue Stanish said.
Broken down, the additional tax dollars would go to a few different sources, including operating and capital expenses, inclusion services, ADA improvements and debt service.
Apart from property tax revenue, the district’s other main source of income is program fees. The district’s proposed budget includes a few small fee increases, including a 5% increase for nonresident memberships to Centennial Beach and a small fee increase for gymnastics programming, Wilson said.
Generally, the district’s 2025 spending plan includes $36.1 million for operations and $13.4 million for capital investments, leaving about $3.7 million for debt service.
Key capital projects include improvements to be made at Nike Sports Complex, Polo Club Park and Fairlane Farms park developments, and the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots. Playground renovations for Columbia Commons, Kroehler Park, Meadow Glens, Rose Hill Farms, West Greens, White Eagle Park and Willowgate Square are planned.
Rounding out big ticket capital needs, the district wants to start implementing recommendations from its recently-completed indoor needs assessment. Released last month, the report gives the district a path forward on the future recreation space, programs and services.
Throughout 2024, the district saw big jumps in participation across several areas of programming.
By the end of the year, it’s projected nearly 93,000 rounds of golf will have been played at its Springbook and Naperbrook courses — the highest number of annual rounds on record. Open gym use and track use at Fort Hill Activity Center is up 15% and 13%, respectively, over 2023. Fort Hill has exceeded more than 8,000 fitness memberships and Centennial Beach attendance was 11% above average over the summer, attracting some 143,000 visitors between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
This is the second consecutive year that the district has had either record or near-record participation for its programs, Wilson said.
Though the spike in demand has “certainly presented some challenges,” he said, it “also reinforces just the overall importance of the parks, facilities and programs that the park district provides and the value that the community and the residents see in what is provided.”
