Forest Preserve District Approves Lower Tax Levy
November 15, 2005
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is pleased to announce that on Tuesday, Nov. 15, its Board of Commissioners approved the tax levy to fund its 2006/2007 fiscal year operating budget at a reduced rate from that of the previous year.
“The District projects that the levy rate for operations will decrease by 3 percent, while the total levy will decrease by 6.1 percent, and this is good news for all DuPage County taxpayers,” said Forest Preserve President D. “Dewey” Pierotti Jr. “The Forest Preserve District has been able to lower the tax levy rate 10 of the last 11 years while continuing to improve the outdoor opportunities available to the citizens of DuPage County,” he added.
Pierotti attributed the decrease in the tax levy to the continued growth in property valuation and new construction in the county. “This means that the owner of a home valued at $270,000 should see the portion of his or her annual property tax bill that goes to support the Forest Preserve District actually decline by $7.47 compared to last year,” explained Pierotti. This tax levy, which is in full compliance with the existing legislative tax cap, will support the 2006/2007 fiscal year budget, which is projected to be austere while maintaining the high quality and quantity of public services within current fiscal guidelines.
D. Dewey Pierotti
Q: How would you characterize the current condition of the DuPage County forest preserve system? What needs to change?
Q: Do you believe changes need to be made to the budget or funding structure for the forest preserve? Please be specific.
Q: Do you support controlled burns as a way of maintaining ecosystems in the forest preserve? Why or why not?
Source: http://www.vgt2004.org/a-wbbm/candidate-detail.go?id=4635369
DuPage County Forest Preserve District Board President
Pres. Dewey PierottiD. Dewey Pierotti (R)
Dewey Pierotti has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Forest Preserves over the past 4 years as he has presided over the new format of the board since its separation from the County officials in 2002.
He continues to write in his Conservationist column as well as declare in his speeches his love of the environment and its part in maintaining the quality of life for DuPage citizens and their families.
As president he has worked to keep roads out of forest preserves, use the forest preserve funds wisely, and to strengthen the health of the ecosystem in the forest preserves. He was definitely the most vocal and influential opponent of the Eola Road extension through Fermi and the proposed road through Pratt's Wayne Woods. He is a committed friend to open spaces in DuPage County.
Mr. Pierotti has helped to squelch the notion of gun ranges on Forest Preserve property and has encouraging a proactive approach of looking at the options available for the preserve to be located in the now St. James Farm property.
The office of President of the DuPage County Forest Preserve is a county wide office, and the Sierra Club recommends that all voters of the county vote for Dewey Pierotti.
Source: http://illinois.sierraclub.org/vote/index2backup.html
Archive: The info below was gathered from Dewey Pierotti's previous races
Forest chief threatens to veto golf course pacts
Stacy St. Clair Daily Herald Staff Writer
2 October 2002, Chicago Daily Herald
DuPage Forest Preserve President Dewey Pierotti is poised to exercise his veto power for the first time following approval of two golf course contracts Tuesday. Pierotti questions the timing of the agreements and repeatedly has intimated they're 11th-hour deals to pad the wallets of some commissioners' friends. He also contends extending the agreements now - instead of when they expire in January - will strip financial oversight powers from the next forest preserve commissioners, who will assume their posts in December. The contracts have so riled Pierotti, he is threatening to veto them. Though he stopped short of saying he would exercise the power Tuesday, he outlined a plan for how the district would proceed if he rejected the agreements.
From: http://www.afscme.org/private/update/2002/pw021015.htm
D. “Dewey” Pierotti
Issue 1: Integrity: All governmental tax-supported bodies have an obligation to address the needs and demands of the people they represent and address these concerns while maintaining the financial integrity of the taxing body.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County currently operates under a five-year master plan, which incorporates these anticipated needs and demands of our citizenry. Those needs and demands have been identified, and their costs have been budgeted over this five-year period.
The district is proud to have met all its obligations with respect to services and been able to have lowered the tax levy (real estate tax liability to the homeowner) for 11 of the last 12 years. The district achieved its goals of high levels of services with financial integrity and responsibilities only through the hard work and professionalism of its staff. It is imperative that this high level of financial responsibility be maintained.
Issue 2: Growth: What level of future growth and land acquisition should be projected? Do we need another land acquisition referendum? During the last decade, the Forest Preserve District has pursued and completed an active land acquisition program. A determination should be made if this active program of land acquisition should be pursued, or if it is time for the Forest Preserve District Commission and staff to pause and properly evaluate the district's current land holdings and facilities. The district could then determine what improvements should be made for better utilization of those lands and facilities and how to make them more readily available to the public.
The Forest Preserve District currently owns approximately 25,000 acres of land in DuPage County. These holdings represent 12 percent of total DuPage County land mass. The most efficient use of our current facilities and vacant land should be a major concern of the commission and staff. Any decision regarding a future land acquisition bond issue should be subject to a master plan, contingent upon the financial impact to the residents of DuPage County being fully disclosed and explained.
Issue 3: Programs: During 2005, almost 3.1 million visitors enjoyed the conservational, educational and recreational features of DuPage County's 59 forest preserves. The district should evaluate and implement programs that can generate more frequent use of our current facilities. The district should actively promote additional educational opportunities for all age groups, young and old.
The district is currently promoting educational opportunities with the cooperation of our DuPage County educators to address the needs and interests of our schoolchildren. These include continuing-education forums that provide programs to the educators that can be incorporated into their classroom studies. The district is also currently promoting educational programs and volunteer opportunities with senior citizen groups throughout the county. Working in conjunction with various park districts has resulted in a substantial increase in participation.
The land and amenities offered by the district could not be maintained at their current high level without the hard work, professionalism and dedication of district employees and the thousands of volunteers who give freely of their time.
The district should continue to operate under a sound financial program that addresses the needs and concerns of all the residents of DuPage County and maintain the quality of life we currently enjoy.
From: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/politics/naperville/n17forpres.html
Pratt's Wayne Woods Saved From Road—Fermilab Still Threatened
On May 21, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom announced that a planned feasibility study to build a road through the 3,400-acre Pratt's Wayne Woods had been called off. “An expensive study to possibly build a new road through Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve does not make sense and would be a poor use of taxpayers' money,” Schillerstrom said. Conservationists celebrated.
Two groups of conservation-minded citizens — SOLID (Save Open Lands In DuPage) and POP (Protect Our Preserves) — were instrumental in challenging plans for the proposed road. Speaking for POP, Dr. Doug Mains emphasized that a road through the preserve would set a dangerous precedent. Development interests had lobbied hard for the project. Earlier this spring, when the road appeared to be “a done deal,” Forest Preserve District President “Dewey” Pierotti courageously promised to veto any proposal passing the road through the forest preserve.
For Marge Marola, a Warrenville resident, the expressway proposal has been a recurring nightmare. Marola circulated petitions a year ago in opposition to the DuPage County Board proposal for extension of Eola Road into Fermilab. She collected 20 pages of signatures. But the county board approved an $850,000 environmental impact study for the Fermilab section of the project late last year. A broad spectrum of DuPage citizens, ranging from bicycle enthusiasts to dog walkers, have joined SOLID seeking to stop the Fermilab portion of the road because of concerns about traffic safety, loss of open lands, and declining property values. The group now has its own Web site and joined forces with POP to oppose the Pratt's Wayne road feasibility study.
Alan Gard of SOLID notes that this road would follow the eastern route for the proposed (and highly unpopular) Fox Valley Expressway that bogged down in controversy in the early '90s. Gard asserts that studies of routes through preserved open land have been wasting taxpayer money since the first study of roads through Pratt's Wayne Woods in 1997.
Although Schillerstrom's decision to call off the Pratt's Wayne study has cheered many DuPage residents, the fate of the road through Fermilab is still up in the air. That feasibility study is underway. The members of SOLID have pledged to find alternative solutions to the purported need for more roads in this part of DuPage County. For more information and how to get involved, visit the SOLID Web site, or call Marge Marola at (630) 393-3301. — Jim Kostohrys and Rickie White.
Source: http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/summer1999/newswild.html
July 19, 2006 FOREST PRESERVE BOARD DECIDES TO DEMOLISH CHURCHILL STRUCTURES
In a shocking decision, the Board refuses to even consider hiring an architect to review options to demolition
By Robert Sanchez, Daily Herald Staff Writer, Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Efforts to save two shuttered 1930s-era buildings at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn have suffered a surprise death blow. The DuPage County Forest District board is refusing to reconsider its decision to raze the limestone structures, which once housed the district’s headquarters and its first superintendent, Robert McKee.
Commissioners voted in March to demolish the buildings because restoring them would cost an estimated $450,000. That vote prompted months of lobbying by McKee’s descendants and Glen Ellyn history enthusiasts to spare the structures. So district President Dewey Pierotti sought to have an architectural firm give a second opinion about the restoration costs. But when commissioners Tuesday learned it would cost up to $25,000 to hire a Darien-based firm, they didn’t even vote on the proposed contract.
As a result, both buildings are expected to face the wrecking ball, although a demolition date hasn’t been set. “We can’t save every single building,” Commissioner Joseph Cantore said. “I wish we could. But we can’t.”
Chris Wilson, president of Citizens For Glen Ellyn Preservation, had long heard the argument that renovating the Churchill Woods buildings would be too expensive. Still, she said she expected the forest preserve board to make sure the $450,000 restoration estimate was accurate. “I just feel like I was hit,” Wilson said. “This is quite a shock. I don’t know what to do at this point.” Earlier during the meeting, Wilson told commissioners her group had learned the original McKee residence might qualify for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pierotti had promised that staff planners would give the demolition issue another look. But in the end, he couldn’t muster any commissioners to vote on the architect’s contract. “I really felt that it wouldn’t have hurt to spend the additional funding to get the more definite answers to some of the questions that were posed,” he said.
But Commissioner Roger Kotecki said the forest preserve already is spending millions to maintain a list of historic buildings. They include the 1939 Danada House in Wheaton, the 1920s-era Peabody Estate and the 1850s-era Graue Mill, both in Oak Brook, and the 1890s-era Kline Creek farmhouse in Winfield.
Instead of using $25,000 to study restoration options for the Churchill Woods buildings, Kotecki said he favored restoring forest preserve land. “We have other buildings that are going to require a lot of resources,” Kotecki said. “This is just one that we need to let go.”
However, McKee’s grandchildren said preserving the original headquarters should be a priority. “It’s disturbing to me that they have so little regard for their own history and traditions,” said Lance McKee, Robert’s grandson, who lives in Massachusetts. “They are just throwing it away.” Barbara Plumer, Robert McKee‘s granddaughter, was so upset with Tuesday’s outcome that she said she won’t assist plans to erect a memorial after the buildings are gone. “That's a joke,” said Plumer, who lives in North Carolina. “I want the buildings saved. It’s a crime to tear them down.”
Source: http://www.glenellynpreservation.org/assets/at%20risk/churchill%20woods%20pdfs/July%2019%202006.pdf
Tri-County park loses state support
Posted: June 02, 2005. By Marni Pyke, Daily Herald Staff Writer
The name may be newly minted but the financial dilemmas facing James “Pate” Philip State Park are the same old ones.
Money to operate the 500-acre preserve in Bartlett, formerly known as Tri-County State Park, will run out in September. And it appears there’s no renewed funding for the restored prairie at the intersection of Cook, Kane and DuPage counties in the state budget.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve District runs the park, which is owned and funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources through a $1 million grant bestowed in 2002.
As an emergency fix, district board President Dewey Pierotti plans to ask commissioners to approve paying for the operation of the park for six months.
“I’ll do everything possible to maintain it,” Pierotti said, adding that the park is booked solid with school tours now.
“We don’t have the deepest pockets but we’ll see what happens. Maybe in the veto session the state will recognize the importance of keeping it open,” he said.
The budget for Tri-County Park this year was $418,000.
Commissioner Roger Kotecki of Warrenville said he feared the financial strain of a long-term commitment.
“If we take on Tri-County Park as a permanent thing, it’s quite problematic,” Kotecki said. “In six months, is the state’s financial condition going to be any better?”
The park’s fate was originally tied in with a budget proposal that could have hurt the district financially. Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed eliminating a budget loophole giving tax credits to utility providers purchasing electricity from landfill owners.
The forest preserve owns two former landfills at Mallard Lake and Greene Valley that produce electricity. Officials estimated getting rid of the loophole would have cost them $1 million and were trying to be exempted. In exchange, Pierotti had pledged to pick up the tab for the park.
But the legislature never acted on the policy, leaving the district in the position of dodging one bullet but facing the threat of a perpetual drain from the preserve.
Right now, however, several district officials believe the state’s budget crisis merits the assist.
“We’ll try to come up with what we can,” said Brent Manning, district executive director. “We sure don’t want the state to feel we’ll abandon them.”