Naperville officials want to explore dissolving park district

Several Naperville councilmen want to explore the possibility of dissolving the park district and absorbing its services and facilities under the city's umbrella.

Councilmen Grant Wehrli, Doug Krause and Richard Furstenau all say there could be cost savings by eliminating duplications in the work the two bodies are doing, though some park board members are skeptical.

"If it financially seems plausible to do this and we can maintain a level of service the park district is currently offering at a savings to taxpayers, we absolutely need to look into doing that," said Wehrli.

He said the current park district staff does a "phenomenal job."

If enough residents support the idea, the fate of the park district would most likely end up being put to a vote via referendum, in much the same way the district was created in 1966.

In the meantime, the councilmen say they want to start the process of researching whether any substantial savings would even be possible and asking for public input.

They'll begin with a discussion at the next city council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the municipal center, 400 S. Eagle St.

"We're all going to be looking for savings from government because there aren't enough taxes to pay the bills anymore," Furstenau said. "Government has got to shrink, has to become smaller."

Krause, who advocated the idea of consolidation during his 2007 mayoral run, said one example of possible cost savings would be in fuel. He said Naperville police could incorporate the parks into their beats instead of park district officers driving to the sites.

He also said because Naperville is a home rule community, it has more power to raise revenue and borrow money for projects than the park district.

But park board Vice President Marie Todd said she doesn't see much chance for significant cost savings through consolidation and feels the city and park district have different missions and specialties.

"We're not being frivolous with what we do, we're very fiscally responsible, we have an AAA bond rating and we are a 'distinguished agency' (according to the Illinois Association of Park Districts)," she said.

Todd also cited the results of a survey by University of Illinois researchers that appeared in the July/August issue of the association's Illinois Parks and Recreation publication. The survey found 90 percent of respondents prefer having a separate park district as opposed to having park services provided by a municipal government.

Mayor George Pradel has reservations as well and said much more research is needed into the possible ramifications. He believes they can work well as partners, rather than one combined entity.

"I think we need to just put our arms around the park district and partner with them as much as we can to just tell them that we are so proud of what they're doing," Pradel said.

While Wehrli, Krause and Furstenau all say cost savings spurred the discussion about consolidation, Krause also pointed to the park district's "turnstile" of executive directors - eight within the past 12 years counting interim directors.

Current Executive Director Daniel Betts is on a leave of absence less than four months into the job and the district has been mum as to why or whether Betts will return.

The park board itself has a history of infighting and communication troubles but is working with a consultant to make improvements.