Voters Ponder Hiking Tax Rate By More Than 69% In Kenilworth Park District Referendum

KENILWORTH, IL — Voters in the village will decide on Tuesday whether to they are willing to pay a few hundred dollars more in property taxes in order to fund major improvements to local parks and recreational facilities.

The Kenilworth Park District board has asked voters to raise its limiting rate by 0.132 percent — more than 69 percent — from 0.189 percent to 0.321 percent.

It will end up costing each of the village's approximately 800 homeowners about $40 per $100,000 of their property's market value, which comes out to about $800 a year for owner of a $2 million home.

This will raise an additional $492,000 in annual property tax revenue for the park district.

According to the text of the referendum, it would be used "for the purpose of building, equipping and operating a new community recreation center, acquiring and improving land for trail use, maintaining, improving and protecting park facilities, parks and athletic fields and for other park purposes."

Park district officials have said the money would help build a new recreation center to replace the aging Village House and fund improvements to Townley Field.

"The referendum would also reserve funding to relocate the Green Bay Bike Trail adjacent to Townley Field, mitigating safety concerns caused by bicyclists navigating through streets and the school blacktop, and reducing the risk of accidents," Kenilworth Park District President John Hart said in a letter to residents.

Hart said the yearslong efforts to realign the trail required village, school and park district officials to work together.

"Part of our plan has been to acquire land from the Union Pacific Company to build the trail on the land adjacent to the railroad tracks. Funds have been identified to purchase the land, but Union Pacific has not accepted our offer at this point. As a second option we are working on a potential easement that would allow us to build this portion of the trail as envisioned," Hart said.

"If Union Pacific will not approve a purchase or allow construction on an easement, the park district board has discussed allowing construction of a trail across park district property on the west side of Townley Field," he said. "The plans for the Townley Field improvements will include holding this land with hopes that we can go forward with a realigned Green Bay Trail in the future."

The proposed improvements to Townley Field would also include modernizing the facilities to better serve residents of all ages, according to the park district.

Funding would enable construction of a year-round recreation center with spaces for sports clinics, community events, and rentals by local groups. The center would feature indoor facilities for activities such as basketball, pickleball, and youth programs that could continue even in winter or during inclement weather.

The plan also includes upgrades to Townley Field itself, such as adding new ADA-compliant indoor and outdoor restroom facilities, installing a commercial irrigation system for the grass, and replacing outdated lighting with energy-efficient LED fixtures.

The Kenilworth Park District has pointed out that while neighboring districts receive about 4 percent of local tax revenue for their operations, Kenilworth receives only 2.5 percent.

"We have achieved a lot for our community while continuing to honor our community’s commitment to fiscal responsibility," park district officials said in a brochure about the tax hike referendum. "But while we are doing everything we can to serve our community members, we continue to fall short and our residents deserve better."