Resident Slams Plainfield Park District for 'Risky' Cuts

The Plainfield Park District board - already under fire after suddenly appointing an elected village official without municipal management background to its top taxpayer-funded position, and shaking up its longtime staff roster - is facing fresh criticism for its fiscal 2013-14 draft budget.
The proposed $10.9 million plan, which includes an 8.2 percent spending cut in the recreation fund, shows an overall 2.8 percent reduction in expenditures for 2014, although salaries and other compensation are on track to rise by more than 20 percent.

Newly hired as its executive director, second-term Village Board member Garrett Peck is drawing a salary of $110,000 plus benefits that include full funding for a postgraduate college degree. The district also is paying Cameron Bettin, who had been hired for the directorship two months earlier, a similar sum despite Bettin's demotion to assistant director after Peck's controversial hiring with a 3-2 board vote.

A group of 18 prominent Plainfield Republicans a month ago signed a letter declaring their objection to the selection of Peck for the job in spite of his lack of experience in parks and recreation work or management of substantial staff. District spokesman Doug Booth has said the hiring resulted from Peck's long association with newly elected board President Peter Hurtado.

The district is paying $5,500 monthly to Booth, a longtime GOP operative and onetime Plainfield resident, who also has been given the duties of treasurer and computer administrator that formerly were filled by existing staff.

Eighteen-year Park District resident Rob Ayres, who has exhaustively scrutinized the proposed spending plan, said numerous concerns arose in the process of the review.

"The large reduction in the contingency fund (approximately $840,000) is being heralded as a significant budget-savings; however, this move takes the diligent budgeting and cost-containment strategies from prior park district boards and puts the park district at greater risk for the future," Ayres said. "It is akin to using an emergency fund to cover needs now.

"Unfortunately, if something unexpected happens, there will be a drastically reduced contingency fund balance to rely on. This puts the future of the park district at risk," Ayres said.

Park District Commissioner Mary Kay Ludemann, one of the two board members who voted against Peck's hiring, agrees. Ludemann said the negligible savings on residents' tax bills are "not worth the risk" posed by removal of the contingency reserves, which are comparable to those held in most tax-supported entities.

The potential instability brought by removal of the funds also could imperil the district's AA bond rating, Ludemann said, and hinder its eligibility for grant funding.

Ayres also expressed frustration over taxpayers having virtually no opportunity to offer significant input for the coming fiscal year.

"The current group of commissioners in line with Hurtado have not afforded the public, after many requests, the courtesy of a budget workshop to collaborate on concerns and ideas. With the added payroll costs put into the budget for 2014, added costs to payroll taxes, insurance, workers comp and educational fees increase also. The actual expense reductions proposed, outside of the Contingency Fees, amounts to approximately $81,500, or 0.73 percent.

"The lack of fiscal responsibility, no transparency or meaningful communication from the new president and newly elected commissioners makes me very concerned for the future of the park district."

While the annual spending plan has been the topic of board workshops in years past, Hurtado has declined to schedule a meeting focused on the budget proposal prior to the state-mandated public hearing, set to take place just before the board meets on July 24 to approve the new fiscal blueprint. Hurtado has said he would be willing to further postpone the budget adoption if residents' concerns warrant consideration, although the 2012-13 fiscal year ended June 30.

The budget draft can be found at plainfieldparkdistrict.com. Public comment is being accepted through July 24, and the public hearing is set for 6 p.m. July 24 at the Plainfield Police Department's multi-purpose room, 14300 S. Coil Plus Dr. 

Debra Bostjancic

Plainfield