Page 86 - Illinois Association of Park Districts Benefits of Membership 2017 - 2018

exercised this authority. Rather, the opposite has occurred: A number of municipal park and recreation departments have merged with park districts.3
Cost
Many times, those without sufficient information on the issue opine that more government equates with higher costs and that meaningful savings of tax dollars would occur should a consolidation of local government take place. But the key to any local government consolidation question is to explore the level of services being offered and to determine whether resources are being wasted or if there is a lack of cooperation between units of local government.
In Illinois, park districts represent only five cents of every tax dollar spent, and the park districts supplement their income from taxes by programmatic fees for services whereby the user (or individual benefiting from the services) pays for them. A recent study concluded that 47 percent of these agencies’ revenue comes from sources other than taxes.4
When exploring the issue of intergovernmental cooperation, studies also show that, to a large extent, park districts share facilities, staff, equipment and other resources with the population served by similarly located units of local government and, in this respect, park districts may very well serve as a model for other government units.5
Efficiency
The previously mentioned prevalence of intergovernmental cooperation in which park districts are engaged creates a wide variety of efficiencies both in services and cost savings.
In addition, park districts are professionally staffed units of local government. This means that services have the greatest chance of being provided in an effective and thorough manner and not as an outgrowth of political cronyism. Professional staffing assures that recreation programs and facilities are run and maintained by trained professionals. Further, park districts, along with forest preserves, conservation and recreation agencies are caretakers of more than 350,000 acres of public land and open space across Illinois. The experts employed by these units of local government are
3 See, for example, Diane Stanke and David T. Kindler, “Taking the Pulse of the Community,” Illinois Parks & Recreation, September/October 2005, 48-55.
4 The Economic Impact of Local Park and Recreation Agencies in Illinois, a research project conducted by Economic Research Associates for the Illinois Association of Park Districts, 2005.
5 See Robin Hall, “Partnering with Purpose,” Illinois Parks & Recreation, January/February 2006, 12-18.
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