To Buy Or Not To Buy, That Is The Question.

A question that will be before the Commission over the next few months will be "Should we have a Referendum for land acquisition and for how much?" My opinion is that it is entirely proper to offer the Citizens of DuPage County the opportunity to decide if we should buy more land. It will be the responsibility of the Commission and staff to inform the people so they can make a wise decision. A recent survey showed that the amount should be between 50-75 million dollars. 50 million dollars amounts to seven dollars and change a year for the average homeowner. I think that is a bargain, especially when one considers the alternatives.
Consider:

1. Other land uses will likely have an even higher increase in property taxes. Open space has been referred to as the 'Ultimate Tax Cap'. Unit School District#204 is not asking to build a new high school because land is being permanently maintained as open space. Add to that roads, other infrastructure, police, fire... you get the picture.
2. DuPage County has a 7.2% increase in daytime population over the nighttime resident population. When the County is built out, there will be about a million residents. That amounts to about 72,000 extra people. That will put addition pressure on the District because of the potential for overcrowding in some of our preserves.
3. For good or for ill, we must decide now what we are going to preserve. Once land is put into brick and mortar, it is nearly impossible to regain its natural resources. It is also cost prohibitive.
4. Our potential purchases are mostly about the quality of our preserves, not about the quantity. If you were going to build a 4000 sq. ft. house, you might start with a 40'x100' foundation. You would add floors and walls. You have all the square footage that you need, but you wouldn't be done with your building. You would still need a roof, a driveway, utilities, etc. That is where we are now. Making trail connections, adding buffer space to protect quality habitat, protecting the riverways, etc.

More to come...