Voters have overwhelmingly backed the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s referendum to increase taxes so it can buy more land and maintain the open space it already owns.
Unofficial results show 271,163 votes were cast in favor of passing the referendum while 160,279 voters came in against it.
“It was a great night for protecting and preserving our natural resources in DuPage County,” forest preserve district Executive Director Karie Friling said Wednesday. “We feel very grateful and very blessed.”
As approved, the measure allows the district to extend a 0.0350% higher 2024 property tax levy than would be allowed under state tax caps. For property owners, the hike would translate to an additional $11.67 on their tax bills per $100,000 of home value, according to district officials.
As a result, the district will receive about $17 million more in annual revenue, per district estimates. Generally, the district plans to use the additional funding to purchase more land in coming years, complete several standing projects, and maintain its current level of programming and services.
Near-term, some priorities the district would like to see the funding go towards include the replacement of Cenacle Bridge at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, improvements at Mayslake in Oak Brook and restoration work at Herrick Lake in Wheaton, Friling said.
Seven million dollars of additional funding will be funneled into the district’s operational budget next year, she said.
As for land acquisition made possible through the new funding, district officials have identified 250 acres of land across the county that they would like to purchase over the next decade with the money. Buying those acres is a priority because the district wants to preserve as much remaining open space in the county as possible before it is developed.
Asked if there are any parcels the district is looking to buy first, Friling said, “I can’t really talk about land because that’s confidential.” However, she did say that “maybe by the beginning of the first quarter next year, that would become more public as we publicly start to pursue some of these priority properties.”
Now that the district has voter support, its next steps for capturing the allotted additional funds will be approving its budget for next year, Friling said. That process will take place over the next few weeks, she said.
“That’s really what we’ve got to hit the ground running on. We actually pushed back our budget deliberations a little bit because of the outstanding referendum,” she said.
DuPage residents will see the tax hike reflected in the property tax bills they pay next year, Friling said.
