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| Is green space worth tax hike? Lake Barrington voters to decide | |
| Feb 10, 2007 | |
| Ed Fanselow, Staff Writer efanselow@dailyherald.com | |
| Daily Herald | |
| Pertains to Barrington | |
| For years, Barrington area residents have insisted that protecting open space should be among the top priorities for local government. Now voters in one community may get a step closer to putting their money where their mouths are. Village board members in Lake Barrington this week approved placing an advisory referendum on the April ballot that would ask residents whether the village should borrow money - and raise property taxes - to buy and preserve between 40 and 60 acres of undeveloped land. The property involved is several parcels scattered about the village. Village officials were reluctant to identify the property for fear of its price rising. Land preservation efforts have been undertaken before by township governments in the area, but Lake Barrington would become one of the first municipalities to take open space preservation into its own hands. "We know that we're on the cutting edge here, but with the way the region is being developed, it's time to be trendsetters," Village President Kevin Richardson said. "If we're going to preserve open space, then we have to look seriously at buying the land now while it's still available." Under the current plan, the village would issue roughly $5.5 million in bonds to finance the land buy, which would cost the owner of a $500,000 home about $175 a year for a 20-year period. That price tag for homeowners, though, could decrease in the coming years, Richardson said, thanks to new tax revenue expected from continued commercial development in town, particularly along Route 14. According to Lake County data, about half of the village's 3,600-acre landscape is now undeveloped, compared with about 45 percent used for housing and 5 percent for commercial and industrial uses. Richardson said a survey mailed to residents last winter showed that more than 90 percent say they want to maintain that ratio. The referendum, which is nonbinding, is simply a way to double-check those results, he said. "We already know that there is overwhelming sentiment among our residents to keep our countryside atmosphere," Richardson said. Dundee and Campton townships in Kane County and Libertyville Township in Lake County are among other local governmental bodies that have borrowed money to buy open land in recent years. Opponents of those efforts argued that county forest preserve districts should be solely responsible for preserving open space. [related editorial-April 12, 2007:] Lake Barrington open space As best we can tell, Lake Barrington officials are proposing, on Tuesday's ballot, a first for any Illinois municipality. Lake Barrington officials are asking residents this advisory question: Should the village borrow $5.5 million to buy land to maintain as open space in perpetuity? County forest preserve districts have, of course, been making open-space buys for decades. We can thank these efforts for the expanses of green here and there that provide visual relief from a suburban landscape increasingly defined by spreading residential and commercial development. The value of open space extends, though, beyond aesthetics. These areas are natural spots for passive recreational activities. And, because they host neither homes nor businesses, these areas mitigate the effects of increasing traffic and school enrollment. In recent years, a few suburban townships have joined counties in buying open space. Our support for open space purchases by any unit of government has always depended on their acquiring parcels in ways that respect property rights. Lake Barrington's proposal meets that standard: officials pledge they will approach only willing sellers and under no circumstances will employ eminent domain. They also vow to work with the county forest preserve district and Lake Barrington Countryside Parks to leverage their buying power. Village President Kevin Richardson describes the $5.5 million bond issue that village officials expect their efforts to inject new vitality into the village's commercial area to produce results - and new sales tax revenue to reduce the bond issue’s cost to taxpayers. That, of course, is no sure thing. But even if residents end up bearing the full cost, about $175 a year on a $500,000 home, we're guessing that most - many of whom chose Lake Barrington for its large lots and open feel - will not mind and welcome the additional 40 to 60 acres this bond issue would buy. The Daily Herald recommends a "yes" vote. |
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