State Rep. Andrea Moore (R-Libertyville) has introduced legislation to require townships seeking voter approval to sell bonds for open-lands acquisitions to specify the dollar amount of the proposed purchase.
“With no dollars specified, it’s nearly impossible for voters to know exactly what they’re voting on. It also makes acquiring open lands more difficult because voters hesitate to support a project until they’re perfectly clear on how much it will cost,” Moore said.
“My legislation simply ensures that voters will be clear on the cost and will have the dollar figure right in front of them on the ballot,” she said.
Currently, township ballot questions for open-lands acquisitions do not specify a dollar figure but authorize bonding “. . . in an amount not to exceed 5 percent of the valuation of all taxable property in the township.”
Last year, confusion over how much Libertyville Township intended to spend on open land contributed to the defeat of a referendum that would have allowed for the purchase of $37 million worth of open space in central Lake County.
Opponents argued that approval of the referendum proposal could have opened the door to $76 million in land purchases despite guarantees of a spending cap by Township Supervisor F.T. “Mike” Graham and other township officials.
Moore said her proposed legislation already has the support of the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois and the Illinois Environmental Council, which should bode well for its passage.
“Illinois currently ranks 48th out of 50 states in the amount of open space available for recreation, and what we have left is disappearing fast,” Moore said. “I’m very pleased that both taxpayers and environmental interests will be working with me to pass this measure.”
