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BOARDMANSHIP . . .
The Park District Advantage
By Dr. Ted Flickinger, CAE
IAPD Executive Director and Managing Editor
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Throughout the 20th century, Illinois, with its system of independent special park districts, has
remained on the cutting edge of offering top-notch, innovative park and recreation services. Illinois
is recognized as the number one state for the local delivery of such services and leads the nation in
winning the most coveted award for parks and recreationThe Gold Medal Award. The award was
developed in 1965 by the National Sporting Goods Foundation and is presented annually to outstanding
agencies throughout North America at the National Recreation and Park Association's Conference.
Illinois park districts have won The Gold Medal Award twice as many times as any other state.
The success of the Illinois Park District System is the direct result of having an individual unit of
local government responsible for managing all park, recreation and open spaces within a particular
community or within a combination of communities. Park districts are created through a referendum
initiated locally by citizens of a defined geographical area. State statutory authority creating park
districts as corporate entities recognizes them as separate distinct units of local government.
Whether soaring up to the sky on a swing, playing soccer, swimming or just relaxing, the human
need for recreation activities and renewal is as important as eating or refueling our cars. Our greatest
asset is our people, and there is no better way to recharge our individual and collective batteries than
through recreation. Illinois park districts offer the best in local parks and recreation services, areas
and facilities. A cornucopia of parks, greenways, swimming pools, lakes and reservoirs, tennis courts,
golf courses, and recreation centers dot the landscape throughout Illinois. The lives of residents from
Chicago to Granite City, from Carbondale to Highland Park, from Quincy to Kankakee, are enriched
because of the park district system.
The charge of Illinois park districts is to preserve and manage natural resources and open spaces,
as well as to provide opportunities for the public to participate in recreation programs and sports
activities. Park and recreation professionals manage facilities and activities such as swimming pools,
field houses, gymnasiums, beaches, skating rinks, conservatories, museums, aquariums, arts and
crafts centers, ball diamonds, ski areas, trails for hiking and hiking, zoos, botanical gardens, pre-school
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and senior citizen programs and a host of fine arts and performing arts activities. Recreation programs
are as broad as human interests. The list is endless and ever-evolving as park district officials look to
new and creative opportunities to meet the public's growing needs.
Park districts make a community a better place in which to live. The public defines recreation
opportunities as a vitally important consideration in their decision as to where they want to live. It's
recognized that government services are indeed essential for our existence, but park district services
also give us opportunities to live and grownot just exist.
Park districts provide the most defined, direct-purpose park and recreation services in the most cost
effective manner. This kind of simple, efficient government is good government.
Park districts significantly contribute to the quality of life of all residents and have a tremendous
impact on the economics of a community and the state.
Facts about Illinois Park Districts
General Information
Park districts represent an average of only 5% of local property taxes. Illinois leads the nation in
the number of special districts but does not lead the nation in local property taxes. As a matter of
fact, Illinois is the fifth largest state but eleventh in local property taxes (Taxpayer's Federation
of Illinois).
Park districts have existed in Illinois since 1869. There are 357 park districts in Illinois, governed
by 2,100 citizen park board members and 42,300 employees.
The historical sites, zoos, museums, botanical gardens, golf courses and unique recreational sites
operated by park districts annually bring millions of tourists' dollars to Illinois. Tourism IS a form
of recreation and now the fourth leading industry in Illinois. Eighteen of the top 25 travel attractions
in Illinois, ranked by attendance for 1989, were areas and facilities operated by park, forest
preserve and conservation agencies.
Out of every tax dollar park districts receive from a community in property taxes, at least $3 is
returned to that community in jobs, retail business, tourism and increased real estate values. This
does not take into account the quality-of-life benefits park districts contribute to the residents of
Illinois.
In an effort to reduce local property taxes, most park districts derive at least 50% of their annual
revenue from fees and charges, foundations, and corporate and private sector contributions.
Areas and facilities operated by park districts in Illinois include: 498 ice rinks (indoor/outdoor);
313 areas for boating on river/streams; 432 swimming pools; 235 areas for boating on lakes/ponds;
394 fishing areas; 461 recreation centers; 205 bicycle trails (302 miles); 156 nature trails (251
miles); 81 beaches; 36 horseback trails (56 miles); 42 campgrounds (2,300 sites); 3,110 tennis
courts; 120 golf courses; 26 boat marinas; three ski slopes; and five airports. Park districts also
operate museums, zoos, natural areas, nature centers, gardens, stadiums, theaters, thousands of
playgrounds, and a variety of other recreation facilities.
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Illinois Citizen/Taxpayer Volunteer Boards
Park districts are governed by locally elected citizens, selected in non-partisan elections, to serve
on the park board without compensation.
More than 2,100 Illinois citizens serve as elected park district board members. Board members
volunteer service and expertise to their communities in an effort to improve the quality of life for
all residents. The average board member contributes nearly 240 hours of service each year. In the
aggregate, these board members annually volunteer more than 504,000 hours in serving their park
district constituents. No other state has board members volunteering this much time to park and
recreation services.
Park districts are decentralized and represent neighborhood government in action. They give
citizens control over the quality and quantity of park and recreation services, as well as the costs
of these services.
Park district boards provide better representation and stability. Park districts differ significantly
from city agencies in their method of selecting board members. Park district boards are elected
whereas city recreation boards are appointed by a wide variety of appointment methods. Some city
recreation departments don't have citizen boards. Many times city recreation boards are affected
by political appointments. It is clear that the park district system is structured to permit greater
citizen control of the park and recreation function than the systems used by city governments.
Park district board members are responsive to citizens, not politicians. Bankers, businessmen,
doctors, homemakers, lawyers and people from all walks of life volunteer their time to be of service
to their communities by serving on park district policy-making boards.
Citizen support for park districts is strong because the citizens elect the board and have immediate
access to these members and the park district staff. A board member not responsive to the taxpayers
is often not reelected. The park district staff and the board go directly to the public for support, rather than through mayors, city administrators, city councils or other governmental officials.
In addition to board members, more than 200,000 people annually volunteer their services to
Illinois park districts.
All segments of the population, including senior citizens, minorities and special populations, are
represented by park district board members. Policy-making park district boards generally meet for
two to four hours once or twice a month, with an average attendance ranging from 10 to 50 citizens
at regular board meetings. In addition to board meetings, park district board members meet with
citizens and civic groups throughout the year to discuss district policies and services. City
recreation boards, where they exist, are usually advisory.
Results of Research
Findings from research conducted by Western Illinois University and the University of Illinois
reveal that the vast majority of Illinois residents are extremely satisfied with the manner in which
Illinois park districts are accomplishing their goals of providing recreational opportunities and
preserving open space. Illinoisans value their park districts.
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In research conducted by the University of Illinois (White Paper) it was determined that more than
80% of the public believes that park districts are serving essential community needs. Citizens feel
that park districts provide the greatest opportunities for citizen involvement. The public has more
contact with park districts than with city and county governments combined. They are much more
satisfied with the performance of park district employees than they are with city and county
employees.
A study by Western Illinois University showed that park districts, used by 69% of the adult Illinois
population in 1989. generated more than 94 million visits by 5.6 billion visitors. In the aggregate,
park districts contributed $1.6 billion to the Illinois economy and created, beyond the 42,000 plus
agency personnel, an additional 7,000 Illinois jobs.
Unlike "big" consolidated governments, park districts have only two overriding objectives: to do
well at what they were formed to do (parks and recreation), and to give the public its money' s worth
through cost effectiveness and operational efficiency. Park districts are local government at its best
and truly represent the tax limitations the public wants and deserves. They are modest and careful
with public monies. With only one service to perform, they inform the public of their services and
keep money issues simple and specific.
When Illinois residents were asked to estimate the dollar value they place on park district visitation,
their total dollar values exceeded their costs by about $91 million. When polled for their opinions,
believe park districts both enhance the quality of their lives and have a positive local and state
economic impact.
Park districts provide a very unique human service to their constituencies. These services are the
prime purpose of park districts, unlike county or other consolidated governments, which
concentrate on providing a wide array of social and human services, each potentially competing
with others.
Park districts are:
formed by local people to provide local services;
administered by a manager who is a professional in the field of parks, recreation and
conservation;
controlled by locally elected citizens who serve as board members;
self-governed;
influenced by local residents serving on park district advisory committees and volunteer
positions;
responsible directly to the people;
representative of the simplest form of local government;
cost efficient to operate.
An investment in park districts is an investment in life.
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