What’s happening at the Elmhurst Park District
By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Elmhurst Park District Board held its final regular meeting of 2017 on Dec. 11 at the district’s administrative office at 375 W. First Street. Commissioner Doug Ennis was absent from the meeting.
There were no public comments.
Vending machine contracts approved
The board unanimously approved the meeting’s consent agenda, which included a new beverage vending contract to place and maintain 17 automated beverage vending machines at eight facilities throughout the district. The district’s current contract with PepsiCo will expire at the end of 2017. Pepsi Beverage Company of Schaumburg submitted the only sealed bid for 2018. The district’s one-year contract with Pepsi Beverage Company will begin on Jan. 1, 2018, with an option to renew for two additional years. The current contract offers the district a 35-percent commission on vending sales. The new contract gives the district a 40-percent commission. The district’s current contract resulted in a commission of about $9,400 in 2016.
Third quarter financial report presented
The meeting also included a 2017 third quarter financial report. Christi Jacobson, the district’s director of finance and human resources, noted during the report that salaries account for about 67 percent of the district’s budget. According to Jacobson, the district had nearly $13.5 million in cash and investments at the end of the third quarter (Sept. 30, 2017). More than 90 percent of the district’s investments are short-term investments, she said.
Budget for 2018 approved
Board members voted unanimously during the meeting to approve the district’s budget document for the 2018 fiscal year, which begins on Jan. 1, 2018. Elmhurst Park District Executive Director Jim Rogers noted that the document sets in place the district’s plans for next year. District staff members provided details about the 2018 budget during the board’s Nov. 13 meeting. In addition to approving the budget document on Dec. 11, the board voted unanimously to approve a 2018 budget and appropriations ordinance. The appropriation is for about $27.7 million—20 percent higher than the district’s 2018 budget of about $23.1 million. The budget is the district’s financial plan for the year, but the appropriation is the board’s legal spending limit.
According to information provided by the district, the district’s estimated revenue for 2018 is estimated at about $19.1 million, while expenditures are estimated at $23.1 million. The district will reportedly have about $7.2 million in cash on hand at the end of 2018.
Two tax levy ordinances approved
The board also voted unanimously to approve two tax levy ordinances. Those ordinances allow certified copies to be filed with the DuPage and Cook County clerks no later than Dec. 26, 2017. According to the district, the total amount to be raised for tax year 2017 is about $7 million.
Board members also voted unanimously during the Dec. 11 meeting to approve an ordinance providing for the issue of general obligation limited tax park bonds in an amount not to exceed $4.85 million. The funds from the bonds will be used for the district’s land purchases, as well as the maintenance, improvement and protection of the district’s existing facilities.
The park board will hold its next regular meeting on Jan. 15, 2018.
