Cook County government wants voters to approve a referendum Nov. 8 that would raise property taxes to support forest preserves.
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County says Southland residents would benefit from the $7.29 per year tax hike on a $100,000 home. The increase would raise up to $40 million per year, which the district says it would use to buy and preserve an additional 2,700 acres.
“More than half would be in Southeast Cook County, where less natural land has been protected than elsewhere in the county,” according to the district.
The county is asking a lot of homeowners to voluntarily pay higher taxes, for any reason. The Southland’s unfair tax burden is squeezing residents and strangling business investment.
However, voters should consider how the modest investment could improve quality of life in the region and potentially enhance property values.
For starters, forest preserves offer visitors free access to fitness and recreational opportunities. Physical activity is among the most important features of good health and a happy life.
Southwest suburban Palos Township is home to Swallow Cliff Stairs, one of the most popular destinations in the forest preserve district’s 70,000 acres. Fitness buffs flocked to the stairs to resume workouts when the preserve reopened after some facilities were closed during the early months of the pandemic due to concerns about overcrowding.
Forest preserves offer visitors opportunities for walking, hiking, bicycling, golfing, fishing, camping, bird watching and other activities. Many trails and other outdoor facilities are open year round, offering public access to beautiful natural scenery as the seasons change.
In addition to offering opportunities for physical fitness, forest preserves can have a profound impact on mental health. Many visitors rely on the quiet peace of natural settings to provide brief respites from stress.
Forest preserves also provide enormous social benefits. On weekends from spring through fall, pavilions are often packed with extended families and other large groups that gather for low-cost picnics, fun and games.
Places like Vollmer Road Grove near Matteson offer places for friends and neighbors to see each other on a regular basis and support one another. Frequent visitors get to know one another over time and form bonds that create opportunities to build stronger communities.
The Forest Preserves of Cook County is also a model of good government, one that uses collaboration and planning to improve efficiency to deliver quality services.
“Since adopting our Next Century Conservation Plan in 2014, the Forest Preserves have made significant changes to how we work,” according to the district. “We have cut costs, doubled nontax revenues, and implemented a broad range of best practices to invest our limited resources.”
A good example is how the forest preserve district has partnered with the Housing Authority of Cook County to offer summer jobs to young people. The program benefits teens by offering opportunities to develop a strong work ethic and learn employment responsibilities, like the importance of showing up to work on time.
Participants also learn skills and gain knowledge about environmental sciences. Forest preserve guests benefit from the restoration of acreage that had become unusable due to the spread of buckthorn and other invasive plant species.
In addition to acquiring more land to preserve as open space for future generations, the district intends to use new revenue if the referendum passes to protect and restore wildlife habitat, improve trails and other facilities and expand programs for children and others.
The district says it also would use the funding to resolve a pension shortfall and address deferred capital needs at Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Botanic Garden.
No matter where you live in the south and southwest suburbs, you’re not far from a forest preserve.
Orland Grassland serves Orland Park and other communities. Other favorite destinations are Beaubien Woods near Dolton, Camp Shabbona Woods near South Holland, Wampum Lake and Brownell Woods near Thornton and Glenwood, Midlothian Meadows, Bartel Grassland and Water Reserve near Tinley Park, and the wonderfully named Dixmoor Playfield in the 14000 block of South Wood Street.
Asking Cook County residents to pay higher taxes is a tall request, particularly for those in the south suburbs already bearing an enormous tax burden. However, the forest preserve district has shown itself to be a responsible steward of taxpayer funds and public resources.
The request is reasonable and voters should say ‘yes’ to the forest preserve district’s referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Ted Slowik is a columnist at the Daily Southtown.