St. Charles Park District hopefuls weigh in on $28M tax increase
When St. Charles residents head to the polls in April, they face questions about a $28 million tax increase and a choice of who will oversee those funds - or decide what to do if voters reject the increase.
On Thursday night, voters had a chance to learn more about both of those ballot choices at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters in St. Charles.
Money from the tax increase would be used to fund construction of an 81,800 square-foot recreation center, install new turf fields and buy more than $4 million in new open space. If voters approve the tax increase, the owners of a $300,000 home would pay about $92 more per year to the park district on the their property tax bills. District officials believe it will take about 20 years to pay off the bond debt for the project.
There are four candidates running for three seats on the St. Charles Park Board. Two candidates, James Cooke and Bob Thomson, are incumbents. Trish Beckjord and Vanessa Bell-LaSota are newcomers.
All four spoke in favor of the tax increase Thursday night.
Bell-LaSota was the only candidate to reference the impact of the increase on tax bills.
"To add $90 to $120 a year to our property taxes is a sobering thought," she said. "But I trust the process that brought it to this point."
Bell-LaSota said she would like to investigate funding partnerships with the city to possibly retire the bonds as soon as possible.
Beckjord said current park commissioners spent a long time working to understand the needs of the community before deciding to ask for more money. She emphasized the park district's rec center won't be a competitor to local private gyms.
"The proposed family recreation center is not another gym," Beckjord said. "It is a facility that expands the park district's ability to provide recreational services, additional courts, and it will have an indoor track that will serve all ages."
Thomson, who currently serves as president of the park board, said commissioners are asking for the money because community input indicates residents want more open space and a family recreation center.
"There is a question of want versus need," Thomson said. "There is a need for some of the programming space. We have one basketball court now. That one alone is always going. The Fox Valley Special Recreation Association is in need of programming space. Right now, they are transporting people from St. Charles all the way down to Aurora."
Cooke said commissioners thought a lot about the timing of referendum. They've researched the need for six years, and park district staff members are confident they can operate the recreation facility without blowing a new hole in the budget.
"The referendum is probably the greatest form of republican democracy," Cooke said. "It's not an adversarial thing if it passes or doesn't pass. You need to know that we do suffer from a severe deficit of space for gymnasiums - not only for basketball but for pickleball and volleyball. The projections we have show it will not be run in the red; it will actually be in the black as far as its income revenues."
The election is April 7.