STATEHOUSE INSIDER
ON THE NATIONAL SCENE, one of the most exciting opportunities for proponents of parks and recreation in recent memory is the passage of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 (CARA, HR 701), out of the House Interior Committee. This legislation provides substantial funding—$2.825 billion for national projects and $53.3 million
for Illinois—for state and local acquisition and development of park land.
The following is the projected national annual
funding and estimated annual allocation of these
funds to Illinois from the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 by Title.
Title l
Title II
Title III
TitleIV
Title V
Title VI
Title VII
We encourage park
districts across Illinois to
avail themselves of this
opportunity to become
involved in the passage
of this landmark
legislation. Such an
opportunity has
not presented
itself in the last
20 years and
is unlikely to
be revisited
if not successful
during the year
2000. All
park district
commissioners
and staff
should send a personal
letter to Speaker of the
House Dennis Hastert,
2263 RHOB, The
Capitol, Washington
D.C. 20515-1314,
encouraging full and
permanent funding of
the Land and Water
Conservation Fund
(LWCF).
In addition park
districts within House
Speaker Hastert's
congressional district are
encouraged to pass a
resolution of support.
For information or
background information, please call the
IAPD offices at
217.523.4554.
TRUTH-IN-TAXATION
In the closing hours of
the legislative session,
the Cook County
Assessors Office pushed
through legislation that
will require all units of
local government,
including home rule
municipalities within
Cook County, to
conduct a Truth-in-Taxation hearing on
their tax levy regardless
of the amount of
increase. The legislation
becomes effective Jan.
1,2000, and is
scheduled to be
repealed on Jan. 1, 2003. It, therefore,
impacts tax levies
passed in the years
2000, 2001 and 2002.
The act requires that
in less than 30 days
before the adoption of
its aggregate levy the
corporate authority of
every taxing district
must determine the
amount of money
exclusive of election
costs estimated to be
necessary to be raised
by taxation for that
year. Upon making the
estimate the corporate
authority must hold a
hearing on its attempt
to adopt an aggregate
levy. The hearing must
be held according to
the following schedule:
• First Monday in
December: Park
12 | Illinois Parks and Recreation
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS FROM THE LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE SCENE
districts and municipalities.
• First Thursday in
December: Counties and forest
preserve districts.
• First Friday in
December:All other
taxing districts.
The corporate authority
in the taxing district
must explain the
reasons for the levy and
any proposed increase
and must permit
persons desiring to be
heard an opportunity to
present testimony
within such reasonable
time limits as it shall
determine. The hearing
shall not coincide with
the hearing on the
proposed budget.
Failure of a taxing
district to convene or
complete a public
hearing on the date
prescribed due to good
cause such as an act of
God, gives the taxing
district an opportunity
to hold such hearing at
its next scheduled
meeting.
The taxing district
must give notice by
publication in a
newspaper or general
circulation in more than
14 days or less than 7
days before the date of
the public hearing and
be no less than one-eighth page in size and
the smallest type used
shall be 12 point and
shall be enclosed in a
black border no less
than one-fourth inch
wide (this follows pre-existing law regarding
truth in taxation).
The notice cannot be
placed in the section of
the newspaper where
legal notices and
classified ads appear.
The notice must be
published in the form as
shown on page 14.
ADVOCACY
TIPS
Most legislators and
their staff want to know
as many of their
constituents as possible.
Take advantage of
available opportunities
to meet them. You
might have opportunities for contact with
your state legislators
through local organizations to which you both
belong. Relationships
initiated this way can
quickly evolve into
opportunities to discuss
your issues.
In addition, to make
contact with your
legislators meaningful,
do some homework.
Stay abreast of his or her
positions on issues
through public
statements, votes taken
on issues and print and
broadcast media reports.
Finally, realize that a
legislator is a busy
person,
Sending Letters to Your
Legislator
Of course, legislators
want to do what's best
for their districts,
whether it's saving jobs
or securing funding for
local projects. Legislators
really do want to hear
from their constituents.
Because legislators make
decisions on thousands
of items of legislation,
they look to their
constituents for
guidance on how to
vote on the many
proposals on which
they have not yet
formed an opinion.
Legislators commonly
cite situations when
fewer than half a dozen
letter or telephone calls
from constituents
influenced a decision on
a particular issue.
However, not all letters
to elected officials are
created equal; their
effectiveness varies.
Here are some suggested
January/February 2000 | 13
guidelines to follow
when writing your
legislator:
• Address your
legislator properly,
write legibly, be
courteous and
reasonable.
• Avoid using form
letters. Write in your
own words using
examples from your
experiences and your
community. Identify
yourself early in the
letter, including the
fact that you are a
constituent and that
you are writing on
behalf of other
individuals, if applicable.
• Give the reason for
your letter and refer to
the specific legislation
in the first or second
paragraph. Don't use
only the bill number;
include a reference
topic. "I am writing to
express my support of HB
299, which enables park
districts to..."
• Do write the
chairman or committee
members who will hold
hearings on your bill.
• Explain how the
issue in question directly
affects you. "If the bill
passes, park districts will
be able to...."
• Use as many
relevant facts as possible
and back them up with
sources, if available. Be
specific about the action
you want your legislator
to take, whether it's
voting one way or
another on legislation,
expressing views on an
issue, or sending you
information. "I urge you
to vote for HB 299 when
your committee considers
this bill next week."
• Try to keep your
letter short. Concentrate
on only one issue in your
letter. When writing to a
member of Congress,
send a copy of your
letter to your legislator's
home district office. If
possible, use either
personal or business
stationery that indicates
your return address and
telephone number.
14 | Illinois Parks and Recreation
ISSUES & INSIGHTS FROM THE LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE SCENE
PETER M. MURPHY
IAPD General Counsel
Urge U.S. Congress to Reinvest in Parks
Plus, new Truth-in-Taxation rules for Cook County
Impact Assistance and Coastal Conservation
$1 billion (national)
$12.8 million (Illinois)
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
$900 million (national)
$16.3 million (Illinois state)
Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Fund
$350 million (national)
$13.2 million (Illinois)
Urban Park & Recreation Recovery (UPARR)
$125 million (national)
$8.2 million (Illinois)
Historic Preservation Fund
$100 million (national)
$2.0 million (Illinois)
Federal & Indian Lands Restoration
$200 million (national)
E & T Conservation Easements and Species Recovery
$150 million (national)
$00.5 million (Illinois)