News Updates
Recent news about the Build Our Preserve Petition effort, the Lake County Forest Preserve District, and funding the Fox River Preserve extension will be featured here.
How to spend $304.5 million?: Lake County forest preserves, Mundelein High School preparing for big to-do lists
By Mick Zawislak, Daily Herald, November 6, 2024
Securing voter approval Tuesday for tax hikes to fund a host of improvements for Lake County Forest Preserves and Mundelein High School was the hard part. Now the logistics of using a combined $304.5 million are underway. Forest preserve officials were confident going in but pleasantly surprised at the unofficial total showing two-thirds of voters were in favor of what the district had in mind for the $155 million being sought.
It was the district’s first tax hike referendum since 2008.
“We get pushed a lot — 'When are you going to do more?’” explained Executive Director Ty Kovach. Everyone at the district is “incredibly grateful” for the resident support at the polls, he added.
“They spoke pretty loudly; they want us to continue the work. This is an enormous win for conservation,” he said.
Forest preserves use is 30% higher than before the pandemic and residents have come to enjoy the benefits of natural areas and were inclined to invest in nature, supporters said.
“People have deepened their connection,” said Rebekah Snyder, director of community engagement and partnerships. The bang for the buck also was palatable, with the owner of a home valued at $300,000 paying an extra $33 per year at most…
Of the authorized $155 million, $65 million is designated for land acquisition. Those purchases aren’t discussed publicly in advance. However, there are a number of possibilities for $60 million to be designated to build trail connections and redevelop or open preserves, and $30 million for land restoration.
Forest commissioners will have the final say on which and when the projects will proceed. All have surfaced at one time or another as part of a 10-year capital improvement budget but money hasn’t been available to pursue them.
“There are no surprises in there,” Kovach said. “We've always had the unfunded list.”
The forest board didn’t change as a result of Tuesday’s election but board leadership and committee assignments may. A snapshot of ongoing projects will be presented in January for the reassembled board. A prioritized list of project recommendations for official action is expected in March.
Public access and other projects at four forest preserves are expected to top the list: Lake Marie near Antioch, Fort Sheridan near Lake Forest, Lakewood near Wauconda and Greenbelt in North Chicago.
“They are strategically located in the four quadrants of the county,” Snyder said. “Geography matters.”
Lake County voters support referendums, unofficial results show
By Steve Sadin, Lake County News-Sun, November 6, 2024
Forest preserves, savannahs, prairies and trails for walkers and cyclists in Lake County appear on the verge of an improvement with more dedicated land on the way as yes votes are ahead of no votes on a $155 million referendum offered by the Lake County Forest Preserves District.
The forest preserves referendum was one of nine appearing on all or some of the ballots cast in Lake County in Tuesday’s general election, either binding affected residents to the majority choice or showing a preference for potential legislation.
For the day, there were 297,447 ballots cast either in person Tuesday or before Election Day through either early voting or voting by mail for a turnout of 66.03% of the county’s 450,498 registered voters, according to unofficial results posted on the Lake County clerk’s website.
Forest Preserves Board of Commissioners President Angelo Kyle said he is pleased with the unofficial results and looks forward to seeing the details of the work that is proposed to be done and the new lands to be acquired.
“I think that it shows the work that the Lake County Forest Preserves District is doing and the individuals that utilize the forest preserves really take it seriously,” Kyle said. “The public wants the forest preserves to be a mainstay within Lake County.”
With proponents of the forest preserves referendum leading with 66.52% of the ballots cast to 33.48% against, out of 272,972 total votes, the owner of a $300,000 single-family home will likely pay an additional $32.97 for the first year, according to unofficial results.
Work began on the forest preserves ballot initiative more than a year ago when district officials began charting plans for the next 10 years.
Ty Kovach, the district’s executive director, said when he first introduced the idea of a referendum to the Board of Commissioners, he hoped to use $65 million to acquire a new property, $85 million to do needed work on as many as 22 preserves, and $5 million for deferred maintenance.
Lake County voters favor spending money for improving forest preserves
By Madhu Krishnamurthy, Daily Herald, November 5, 2024
Lake County voters Tuesday affirmed their love of the forest preserve system…
The ballot measures asked voters whether to allow the Lake County Forest Preserve District to raise $155 million to “invest in nature”.
Voter education campaigns featured extensive outreach through a variety of means as well as mailers and in-person information sessions. Forest preserve officials had been optimistic, given public surveys.
The forest preserve question — the first since 2008 — was well on its way to approval with 181,592 votes in favor and 91,380 votes against in unofficial tallies late Tuesday.
The forest preserves, which represent only 1.87% of property taxes collected in Lake County, the owner of a home valued at $300,000 will pay an additional $33 per year.
Besides having high usage and approval ratings countywide, the forest district noted it has been doing more with less for many years and that the average homeowner paid less in 2024 (about $157) than in 2008 (about $187).
History also was on its side. The 2008 referendum to borrow $185 million was overwhelmingly approved with two-thirds in favor but those funds have all been spent or allocated.
Much of those proceeds were used to acquire 4,300 acres of property. Besides acquiring land and making other improvements, the current plan spreads the wealth to include building trail connections, redeveloping or opening preserves and restoring wetlands, prairies, savannas and forests to reduce flooding.
Lake County forest preserves wants to borrow $155 million for habitat restoration, land acquisition
By Mick Zawislak, Daily Herald, June 3, 2024
After a year of consideration, Lake County Forest Preserve commissioners on Monday agreed to ask voters in November for approval to borrow $155 million for a variety of purposes, including habitat restoration and land acquisition.
Commissioners, during a joint meeting of the forest board’s operations, planning and finance committees, recommended asking voters whether the district should borrow not more than $155 million by issuing general obligation bonds.
A tax increase to pay the bonds would cost the owner of home valued at $300,000 about $33 per year, according to the forest preserve district.
An official vote will be taken June 12, but that’s considered a formality as there were no votes against on Monday with 17 of 19 commissioners present.
The vote was buoyed by preliminary survey results showing nearly two-thirds of respondents were willing to support funding $155 million. The money is “to acquire land and preserve forests and natural lands; protect, preserve and restore wildlife habitats, including providing air and water quality improvements; enhance flood control; improve hiking and biking trails and other recreational areas and infrastructure; and, enhance public access.”
In the 2024 budget policies and strategic action plan approved last June, commissioners directed staff members to put a referendum on the November ballot to fund land acquisition, habitat restoration and public access improvements. How much it would cost and how the money would be used was to be determined.
This will be the district’s first referendum since 2008, when two-thirds of voters allowed it to borrow $185 million. Last July, Executive Director Ty Kovach said that money was spent or spoken for and, in six years, expenses would exceed revenue.
The initial recommendation at that time was for about $155 million with $90 million directed toward habitat restoration and dozens of projects, and about $65 targeted for land preservation and acquisition.
“We spent a lot of time arriving at that number,” Kovach said.
The district in March approved about $20 million in limited bonds to acquire high-priority properties, but that is expected to be spent by the end of the year.
“We talked quite a lot when we’d get to this moment over the last several years,” Commissioner Paul Frank of Highland Park said. “I think this is going to empower the district to really lean into the mission.”
New bond funding is needed to continue the district’s mission to preserve natural and open space, restore and enhance native habitats for the benefit of people, plants and wildlife, and invest in passive outdoor recreation, according to Kovach.
About 80% of the 2008 referendum proceeds were used to acquire land in a buyer’s market. This time, the emphasis is expected to be on projects and initiatives to reduce operating costs and completing or starting other big projects on the to-do list.