Jacqueline Jeffery: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Jacqueline Jeffery

City: Carol Stream

Office sought: Carol Stream Park District Commissioner

Age: 38

Family: Married to Jaymin Jeffery for 14 years. We have three children. Addison 11, Lincoln 9, and Kennedy 7

Occupation: Property Manager

Education: Bachelors in Finance

Civic involvement: Girl Scouts Volunteer, PTA Volunteer, BenCare Referendum Committee, Growing Initiatives

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Incumbent, initially elected in 2011

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your park district and how do you intend to address them?

One of the main concerns of the Carol Stream Park District is the potential increase of minimum wage in Illinois. The Park District is a major employer in Carol Stream, especially for students. The Park District is the first job for many young adults whether it be a camp counselor, working concessions or a pool attendant. It is difficult to find employees to fit the needs of the Park District and work part-time. The Park District runs a tight budget, and a required increase in wage effects the number of employees the Park District is able to employ. If the Park District does not have funds to pay employees, the result will be cutting programs and services. CSPD Board continues to work with IAPD on advocating our district's needs and planning for changes if this law passes.

If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the park board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.

I have been on the Board since 2011, and served as President May 2015 to 2017. I have served on the Personnel Committee, Finance Committee and attended multiple Legislative breakfasts. I achieved Master Board Member through the IAPD. I am the board liaison for the Anti-Vandalism task force. I am also serving on the Veteran's Memorial Plaza Task Force which includes members from the Carol Stream VFW, American Legion, Village of Carol Stream, citizen volunteers and more to fundraise and build a Veteran's Memorial to open May 2019. In 2010, just before I was elected to the CSPD Board, a $37 million referendum was passed. As a board member, I work diligently to assess community needs and spend the funds accordingly. Through this referendum a 90,000 square foot recreation facility was built which includes a designated area for WDSRA, McCaslin Park was redeveloped as a hub, a flood control project was completed with DuPage County at Armstrong Park, and much more. Within my time on the board, CSPD has received the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting every year. CSPD was a NRPA Gold Medal Finalist, and recently (2018) obtained IAPD / IPRA Distinguished Accredited Agency again.

Which programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?

Within the last four years the board has made an initiative to develop a cost recovery model for multiple areas of the park district. This project examines the cost to run a program, a building, a park, etc. Through the findings, the board is able to assess what portion of the facilities and programs should be subsidized through tax dollars vs what should be funded by user fees. For example, a walking path would be 100 percent funded through taxes, however hosting a child's birthday party is funded by the user. Most other programs are somewhere in between and are assessed a percentage to be charged to users to cover the activity. The Cost Recovery Model has been a useful tool keeping programs inline with community expectations. The Cost Recovery Model allows the board to assess the success of each program and make adjustments if necessary. CSPD is currently examining the cost of maintenance at Coral Cove Water Park. I believe the outdoor pool is a center for community activity in Carol Stream. Through community feedback, I believe our community enjoys the benefits of the pool. The park district needs to continue to follow the maintenance plan to expand the life of the pool.

Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.

At this time, the Carol Stream Park District is working with the Village of Carol Stream to obtain portions of Community Park. The park district is currently maintaining the property, but once owned, will have the ability to enhance its features. CSPD is working on a master plan for the park which will include conducting community meetings and surveys to help develop a plan for the park and work to obtain funding. Most importantly, CSPD needs to continue with the direction given by the residents in the 2017 District Community Survey, which is "Take Care of What We Have". Through this community directive, CSPD has developed a repair and replacement fund. This is funded by taking a portion of user fees and directing them into the fund. For example, the Fountain View Fitness enrollment fee is placed into a fund to update equipment, a portion of each round paid at Coyote Crossing Mini Golf is added to a fund to repair the greens, etc.

Are there any unmet recreational needs? If yes, what are they and how would you propose paying for them?

As I mentioned above, I believe the main goal of CSPD needs to be taking care of what we have. The repair and replacement fund is moving the Park District in the right direction to be able to do that. However, this does not stop the goals of the Park District to be up to date on community needs. Our community is becoming more and more diverse with different cultures, ethnic groups, and a wide span of ages. CSPDs goal is to support the recreational needs of everyone in our community. CSPD needs to continually monitor all resident expectations and accepting feedback will provide information on any unmet needs. Many times developing a partnership with other organizations such as the Village, WDSRA, local School Districts, neighboring park districts, etc. will assist in meeting the needs of our community and minimize costs.