Coronavirus: No Park Tax Hike On Elmhurst Ballot

ELMHURST, IL — Earlier this year, the Elmhurst Park District was considering a referendum in November to raise taxes for improvements in the district. But those plans are on hold for now because of the coronarvirus.

In a March 30 memo, the district's executive director, Jim Rogers, said it would be shortsighted and irresponsible for the district to plan a referendum this year or continue making nonrefundable payments in earnest money for the purchase of a Riverside Drive property.

"The community would rightfully perceive the Park District as being insensitive to economic unknowns, which may impact their own, the Park District's and the community's financial stability in the long-term," Rogers said in the memo to the park board.

Asked in an interview Wednesday about whether voters should expect a referendum in 2021, Rogers said he did not know, given the economic uncertainties.

In December, the park board agreed to amend its contract with the owners of the 16-acre Kieft Brothers property at Riverside and Route 83. They agreed to delay a possible purchase of the $15 million property for another year. The purchase was contingent on whether voters would approve a bond issue in November's general election.

Under the new terms, the park district agreed to phased-in payments of earnest money totaling $100,000 through August. In 2019, the park board paid $100,000 in earnest money contingent on a decision by the end of that year. The district has paid out a total of $134,000, Rogers said.

At its December meeting, the park board appeared to be moving away from a proposed indoor sports facility, which was planned for the Kieft Brothers Property. Some officials, though, said the property could serve as open space, which surveys show that many residents want. The indoor facility would cost an estimated $56 million, the costliest item proposed for the referendum. The referendum would reflect the board's Vision 2020 plan.

According to the park district's figures, the various referendum proposals would result in property tax increases ranging from $112 to $450 a year for a $400,000 house, which is about the median in Elmhurst.

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