It took some work and preparation by the folks at the Wheaton Park District to win a national award honoring their system of financial reporting.
That and a financial outlay of more than $1,500.
The second part is the part that has some park commissioners asking questions such as: How smart or responsible is it to spend money to win an award honoring the way the district keeps an eye on its money.
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“If somebody gives me an award, fine,” said Commissioner Mark Schobel. “But make me pay for it? No.”
“I suppose I could adorn my walls with a bunch of awards if I chose to go out and buy them,” he said.
“This award is costing the taxpayers money,” agreed Commissioner-elect Hank Kruse, an insurance broker.
However, Park District officials contend the award is worth the $375 entry fee and the $1,200-$1,800 in additional costs of having their entry audited by the sponsor of the contest.
“Having their auditors look at our work and verify that it is accurate adds more authenticity to the numbers we are using,”said Carol Mensinger, the district’s superintendent of finance and personnel.
The additional audit also helps the district get a lower interest rate on its bonds, according to Robert Dunsmuir, the director of parks and recreation for the district.
But Kruse said that since the Park District is millions of dollars in debt from past bond issues, there won’t be any projects requiring additional bond issues for a while.
“If we’re not floating any bonds, why are we spending this money on an award that’s forgotten by the next meeting?” he asked. And why, Kruse and Schobel asked, if the accountants hired by the district are doing their jobs, is it necessary for someone else to check their work?
“If we are using generally accepted accounting principles, why do we need to spend this money?” asked Schobel. “What are the taxpayers getting out of it?”
He asked the same questions about a 1990 award the district won for excellence in parks and recreation management. There was no fee for that one, but finalists had to prepare a slide show, and the one created by Wheaton cost its Park District between $1,500 and $2,000, officials said.
Although Dunsmuir conceded that award had no potential financial benefit, it served as a morale booster for the district.
“It lets us know we’re doing a good job.”
But Schobel said he has trouble understanding that kind of spending.
“I would be willing to pay 40 or 50 bucks and buy them a plaque that says you did a fantastic job,” he said. “That would save a hell of a lot of money.”
The Park District has also commissioned a report to examine the pros and cons of entering such contests in the future.
Beleaguered warrior The continued use of the school nickname and mascot at Washington Junior High School in Naperville, which the principal has determined could be considered racially insensitive, is headed for a compromise.
The nickname “Warriors” stays. But the logo depicting a Native American wearing a headdress and carrying a pencil resembling a rifle in one hand and a piece of paper in the other will bite the dust.
The examination of the mascot began after some of the big kids at Naperville Central High, their parents, and that school board feuded over a similar issue.
That one was resolved last year when the high school’s traditional nickname of “Redskins” was dropped and replaced in a student vote with the name “Redhawks.” The vote came after angry words were exchanged at school board meetings, alumni petition drives to maintain tradition, and a courtroom hearing or two.