Split Call On La Grange Park Tax Hike: Unofficial Results

LA GRANGE PARK, IL – The Community Park District of La Grange Park got a split decision on two property tax increase measures in Tuesday's election.

According to unofficial results, 51 percent of voters approved going into debt by $10.7 million. That would pay for a new gym, which would be next to the recreation center on Barnsdale Road, according to the district.

Also in the election, 53 percent of voters rejected an increase to the property tax bill to cover added energy costs with the new gym. Also, the district aims to keep the gym open earlier and later than the recreation center's current hours, the district said.

If both measures were approved, the owners of a $400,000 house would see their property taxes rise by $317 a year, according to the district. It was unclear what the impact would be with just one of the measures passing.

Besides the gym, the bond proceeds would also pay for reconfiguring the parking lot. The plan is to keep the two baseball fields, the only lit ones in the village, said Jessica Cannaday, the district's executive director.

The district may include an indoor walking space and green turf on the roof for outdoor activities, she said.

The park district started looking into a gym because of the results of last summer's community survey, which indicated great interest in such an addition, Cannaday said.

"We are just out of space here in La Grange Park for indoor recreation," Cannaday said in an interview in December.

The district's overall tax rate is low compared to other districts, she said. And she said the district has a plan for upgrading its current parks.

A quarter century ago, voters twice rejected a tax increase for a gym, she said. In March 1998, the measure fell short by 26 votes. In November of that year, it lost in a landslide.