Endorsement: Wauconda Park District referendum

Voters will determine on Feb. 5 whether to fund the Wauconda Park District's long dream of building a $12 million aquatic center through a tax increase. The increase, which amounts to about 17 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, would fund the pool and a 4,500-square-foot expansion of the community center.

The park district should be commended for its efforts to reach out to voters and solicit input through three public hearings and has been active in putting plans up on its Web site. In addition, the Wauconda Township Pool Foundation has worked for the past 30 years to raise funds for a community pool. The group donated $65,000 to the park district to fund the project.

But we recommend a no vote on this referendum. Governments need to exercise caution when asking residents to pay for projects during this economic climate, and that includes keeping tax increase requests within the reasonable range.

This project would cost the owner of a $225,000 house $119 in additional annual taxes. That is toward the high end for a project that is not of critical importance at this time, in the sense that residents have pointed out that they already have an opportunity to swim outdoors on the neighborhood beaches along Bangs Lake, and have expressed an interest in an indoor water facility.