Hampshire trustees not happy with park rental fee

Some members of the Hampshire village board want their park district counterparts to know they do not approve of the Hampshire Township Park District board's decision to charge event organizers hundreds of dollars to use local parks.

Trustee Orris Ruth proposed sending the park district board a letter opposing a decision to impose a $500 rental fee to use Bruce Ream Memorial Park, which the village had donated to the park district.

"They would not have had the park if it hadn't been for the village," Ruth said. "I don't think they should rent out the land; it is for the people."

Ruth said the park district could implement a fee to use the park's pavilion, which the park district constructed.

Trustees George Brust, Martin Ebert, Jan Kraus and Jerry Shepardson also said they would sign the letter. However, Village President Jeffrey Magnussen said he did not want to be included on the correspondence. Magnussen said the park district is its own taxing body and should deal with financial decisions as it chooses.

Trustee Ed Szydlowski was absent.

The fee will cost organizers of Coon Creek Days $3,000 to use Bruce Ream Memorial Park and the Early Times Street Rod show $1,000. In the past, the park district has donated the land at no charge.

The usage fees are part of the revenue increases the park district will implement to help overcome a $60,000 budget shortfall in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. In addition, the park district board approved about $30,000 in expenditure cuts.

The board was forced to increase revenues and trim expenses after voters defeated a pair of referendums at the Feb. 2 primary election. The park district had requested to borrow $4.9 million and increase the park district's limiting tax rate. The failed effort to raise the district's limiting tax rate about 5 cents per $100 of a home's equalized assessed value - from about 9 cents to 14 cents - would have generated about $150,000 in revenue.