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The Kane County Forest Preserve District is hosting an informational meeting about a $5.7 million referendum for land acquisition and preserve improvement on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The informational session is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora, officials announced in a news release.
The meeting is an open-house format with a presentation at 7 p.m.
The public is welcome to ask questions, see plans and leave comments.
Staff will discuss how the funds would be used, according to the release.
“Funds would be used to further the district’s mission of conservation, recreation and environmental education,” Executive Director Benjamin Haberthur said in the release.
“Passage of this referendum would allow us to continue to protect open space, increase public access to nature through recreational amenities, preserve restore and enhance natural areas, expand nature programming for all ages, improve air and water quality, help reduce flooding, increase public safety patrols and more,” Haberthur said in the release.
The question on the ballot asks if the limiting rate can be increased to 0.074313% of the equalized assessed value of taxable property for the levy year 2024, up from the current limiting rate in 2023 of 0.029163%.
The referendum cost to taxpayers is roughly $10 per $100,000 of home market value, with most paying $2 to $3 more per month, according to the release.
Because of savings bond payoffs and refinancing, Forest Preserve District taxes are set to decrease by varying amounts in 2025 to 2027.
Even if voters approve the referendum, taxpayers would still see a reduction in overall taxes from the Forest Preserve District in 2027, according to the release.
The referendum is intended to:
- Preserve and maintain forests and natural lands
- Acquire additional lands from willing sellers
- Plant trees
- Protect rivers and watersheds
- Protect and improve wildlife habitat
- Enhance flood control and drainage
- Maintain and improve forest preserve woodlands, wetlands and prairies
- Provide nature education for all ages
- Increase forest preserve access and safety
- Improve recreational amenities such as hiking and biking trails, camping and fishing
- Improve Rutland Bog that would allow the public to better access and view the rare ecological communities present
There are other plans as well. The district would also use proceeds from the referendum to create 250 acres of additional habitat by restoring acreage that it already owns but that is currently in agriculture, district spokeswoman Laurie Metanchuk said in an email.
“A successful referendum would provide funds to convert 250 acres of agriculture to native woodlands, wetlands and prairies, each year, for many years, thereby creating additional wildlife habitat,” according to the email. “A lot of the land we invest in is in agriculture or converted to agriculture at the time of purchase. We use that as a land-management tool. It takes time and resources to plan, develop and restore a forest preserve site.”
The district could also add up to 125 acres of new forest preserve land each year, by acquiring new property.
“We only buy land from willing sellers, and that could be additions to existing preserves or entirely new locations. Some years we may buy more, some less, depending on what’s available,” according to Metanchuk’s email. “The referendum would afford us that additional funding.
More information is available online at www.kaneforest.com/referendum.