Glencoe, Cook County Discuss Annexation Of Chicago Botanic Garden

GLENCOE, IL — Village and county officials are discussing the terms of the potential annexation of the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Mary Mix McDonald Woods into the village of Glencoe, with outgoing Village President Larry Levin hoping to complete the agreement before he leaves office, Pioneer Press reported.

The Chicago Botanic Garden was completed in 1972 on mostly unincorporated Cook County Forest Preserve District land straddling New Trier and Northfield townships along the county's northern border.

Annexation, which must be formally requested by the forest preserve's board, would shift public safety responsibilities and sales tax revenue from Cook County to Glencoe.

Discussions over the garden's possible incorporation have gone on for years but have accelerated in recent months, Levin told Glencoe News. He is leaving office in May after serving two terms as village president, where he said he developed good working relationships with county and garden officials.

“So, it is logical that while I am still here and we have that relationship and background that we see if we can get it finished up," he told the paper.

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The garden itself is owned by the Cook County Forest Preserve District and operated by the Chicago Horticultural Society under an agreement next up for renewal in 2055. Taxpayers provided about $9 million toward the district's $49 million operating budget last year, according to the society's annual report. The rest came from revenues, grants and donations.

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