ACROSS THE BOARD Illinois Board Members by Ted Flickinger, Ph.D

Across the Board

Illinois Board Members A Profile
By Ted Flickinger, Ph.D. IAPD Executive Director

There are 2100 locally elected men and women who serve without compensation on park district and forest preserve boards throughout Illinois. These board members are responsible for the governing policies of 302 park districts and forest preserves who employ more than 43,000 individuals.

Park district boards keep democracy green at the roots. Citizen boards are a democratic aspect of our society and help the park districts and forest preserves remain closer to the needs of people. Recreation and park services are people-to-people services and they need the involvement, participation and support of citizens.

Board members are taxpayers who serve the best interest of the taxpayers. They are the pulse of the community — the sounding board, the buffer and the partner who assist the Director and professional staff in assessing and meeting the citizens' interests and needs. Citizen board members can motivate fellow citizens to improve and expand park and recreational services.

What do we know about Illinois board members and the park districts and forest preserves they represent?

We know that these board members have been around for more than 100 years helping to develop the Illinois park district system, which is recognized as being the best system for the local delivery of park and recreational services in the nation. The historical sights, zoos, museums, botanical gardens, golf courses and other recreational areas and facilities annually bring millions of tourist dollars to the state of Illinois. Eighteen of Illinois' top 25 travel attractions ranked by attendance are areas and facilities operated by park districts, forest preserves and the Department of Conservation. Our studies have shown that 5.6 million citizens made 94 million visits to Illinois parks and utilized more than $1.3 billion worth of recreational equipment in 1989 alone.

Park and forest preserve districts operate a wide variety of areas and facilities in an attempt to meet the ever growing demands of the citizens they serve. Five park districts have airports. Sixty-nine park districts have beach facilities. Thirty-seven park districts operate campgrounds. There are 117 golf courses under the auspices of park districts and forest preserves. Eighty-two park districts operate museums, and the list goes on and on.

A newspaper reporter once asked me "Why should commissioners (board members) attend workshops and the state conferences sponsored by the Illinois Association of Park Districts?" I explained, "These board members are elected to be responsible for millions and millions of dollars of taxpayers' money, and you are asking me why they need to be educated? It is vitally important that our elected officials know the issues and problems confronting park districts and forest preserves. At the educational programs, they network with fellow commissioners and professionals to develop resolutions related to environmental issues, crime, preschool through senior citizen services, as well as the preservation of natural resources and wildlife habitat." I then asked the reporter if he attended educational programs sponsored by the Illinois Press Association or other organizations. I told him that we all contribute to his salary and expenses and that I was sure he thinks it is important in his profession to attend these meetings. The same principle applies to our board members and professionals. We want our commissioners to make intelligent and well-informed decisions about spending and saving the taxpayers' money.

Board members make a major impact. It does make a difference who serves on park district and forest preserve boards. We are very fortunate in Illinois to have citizens who are totally dedicated to the mission of parks and recreation. They are not afraid to communicate to the taxpayers and legislators the tremendous positive impact that parks and recreation has on the community — the value of parks and recreation and how it affects the quality of life, tourism and the local and state economies. In addition, a recent study reveals convincing evidence that as expenditures for

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recreation go up, crime decreases, especially juvenile crime.

But the fact remains that the battles for park districts and forest preserves never end. There will always be those who, because of ignorance or indifference, care little about parks, recreation and conservation. We will always be challenged to educate these individuals. We are in difficult times, and during hard times it is even more important that we become better communicators and advocates for the values of parks and recreation. We must convey the fact that governmental services are essential to our existence, but recreation and conservation give us opportunities to really live and grow, and not just exist.

Board members — we salute you and we thank you for the untold hours you spend convincing the public and our legislators that an investment in recreation is an investment in life. Keep up the good work!

THE ILLINOIS BOARD MEMBER/AGENCY PROFILE

Budget Information
• One fourth of Illinois commissioners serve on park district or forest preserve boards that have annual budgets which exceed $500,000.

• Forty-four percent of our membership agencies' budgets are under $1 million.

• Ten percent of these board members are with agencies where budgets exceed $10 million.

Terms of Office
• Eighty-one percent of our IAPD members serve on a five-member board.

• Nineteen percent serve on seven-member boards.

• We predict that seven-member boards will show a slight increase over the next five years.

• Thirty-six percent of our board members have four-year terms and 64% have six-year terms.

Personal Profile
• Thirty-five percent of our commissioners have at least a Bachelor's degree from college.

• Ninety percent of our commissioners are over the age of 35.

• Twenty-two percent are 55 years old or older.

• Only six commissioners in the entire state are between the ages of 21 and 25.

• Seventy-two percent of our commissioners are male.

• There is a definite change from 10 years ago when commissioners had 10 or more years experience as being a board member. The 1993 information shows that 61% or our commissioners have four years or less experience as being a board member. Fifteen percent have ten or more years of serving on a local board.

Agency Profile
• Only 27% of the agencies represented by our board members have the Land Cash Donation Ordinances. Have you looked into this opportunity for your agency?

• Only 9% of the agencies have formed foundations.

• Only 32% of all the agencies have signed up for the statewide (IAPD/IPRA) public relations campaign Take Time For Fun!

• Twenty-three percent of our agencies do not have a formalized program (intergovernmental agreements) for services for the disabled.

• Fifty-six percent of our agencies are members of a Special Recreation Association.

• We were happy to learn that the majority of our agencies are involved in self-insurance programs. One hundred-fourteen agencies are involved in the Park District Risk Management Association (PDRMA) and sixty agencies are involved in the IAPD self-insurance program, the Illinois Parks Association Risks Services (IPARKS). Twenty-four agencies are members of the Illinois Park Employees Health Network (IPEHN).

• The Illinois Association of Park Districts has reached an all-time record high of 303 member agencie.

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