Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Commissioners hear from Kendall County Tax Revolt members before vote.
After intense public commentary and discussion between commissioners, the Oswegoland Park District Board voted to approve this year’s tax levy with a reduction of 5 percent from last year. Prior to the tax levy discussion, several community members spoke in support of a Kendall County non-binding 20 percent levy reduction that 71 percent of voters approved Election Day. Jan Alexander, a member of the Kendall County Property Tax Revolt, said she wanted the park board to take the cuts seriously. “Your services don’t save lives,” she said. “We want some cuts.” Oswego resident Richard Ayers added that the “board doesn’t have proper respect for citizens.” Another resident,, Dave Peterson, said he felt the park district wasn’t a luxury and that…
Thursday, May 31, 2012
The Oswegoland Park District board member suggested a target of 20 percent in cost reductions, but other board members disagreed, saying staff is already working to cut expenses.
Should the Oswegoland Park District set a formal goal for spending cuts, and stick to it? That’s the question raised by Board Member Len Wass last week, during the park district board’s regular meeting. And though other board members did not take to the idea, saying the district is already holding the line on costs where it can, Wass still believes it’s a good one. Even though the district kept the tax levy the same in 2012 as it was in 2011, Wass said, the district’s portion of his tax bill went up. That, he said, is due to a declining tax base, and the only way to combat that is to trim spending. So Wass proposed passing a board resolution to set a goal of reducing district expenses by 20 percent. It is the second time he has proposed a …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The executive director is the second high-ranking official to resign in as many months.
Bill McAdam, the longtime executive director of the Oswegoland Park District, has resigned and will take the same position at the Downers Grove Park District. According to an email McAdam sent to staff and Park Board Commissioners Tuesday morning, his last day with the District will be May 4. McAdam began with the district in 2003. “While I am excited to take on a new challenge, it is difficult to leave a district that has at its core one of the finest most dedicated staff in the industry,” McAdam wrote in his email. McAdam’s resignation follows closely that of Margaret Gienger, the former superintendent of marketing, who last month accepted a position with the Park District of Highland Park. “It’s a sad day for the park district, but a …
Friday, August 26, 2011
Deep division on the Oswegoland Park Board surfaces on Thursday night.
As much as Commissioner Len Wass may want them, term limits on the Oswegoland Park District Board are not likely to happen anytime soon. The reasons are twofold. First, the district’s attorney has said state statute doesn’t allow the park board to impose term limits on its members, and the board majority led by longtime commissioner and President Bob Mattingly have no interest in doing so, either. Wass and his fellow commissioners clashed on that and other issues at Thursday night’s meeting, which included more debate on overspending at the Park District. “There is no statutory basis for imposing term limits on the office of park commissioner” in the park code, said Mattingly,reading from an email from the board's attorney. “Unlike some …
Dave
8:58 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012
Russ voted for 20%, hoping for 5% and got it. I don't believe there is 20% of waste at the park district, and I have not seen it identified. more ›