Report outlines changes made possible with increased resources provided by Cook County voters

At today’s Board of Commissioners meeting, the Forest Preserves of Cook County released a report outlining the effects in the first three years after the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Wildlife Habitat Protection referendum. “2022 Referendum: Budgets, Investments and Impacts, 2023–2025” spotlights how an additional $41 million annually in resources for the Forest Preserves has changed the organization and what it offers the public.

“The public overwhelmingly showed they understand the importance of strengthening the Forest Preserves’ ability to steward more than 70,000 acres of land across Cook County and serve people, wildlife and communities for generations to come,” said Forest Preserves Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “The leap in capacity from increasing the budget in 2023 by nearly a third, and continuing that investment, has improved our way of life.” 

Prior to the vote, the Forest Preserves outlined a set of priority goals for how additional funds would be used to benefit residents of Cook County, including:

• Acquire and restore more land
• Increase public engagement and programming
• Expand and maintain amenities and infrastructure
• Resolve the Forest Preserves’ pension shortfall
• Address deferred capital needs at Brookfield Zoo Chicago and Chicago Botanic Garden

The referendum allowed for a modest 0.025 percent increase to the Forest Preserves’ property tax limiting rate, amounting to an approximate $20-per-year increase to the average Cook County homeowner’s property tax bill.

With a secure source of critical funds, major changes across the Forest Preserves in the first three years include:

• Adding staff and new equipment that supported direct new investment in more than $11 million in ecological restoration projects and an additional $6.3 million in grant funding. In 2022, the Forest Preserves had 15,369 acres under active restoration management. By 2025, that number had shot up to 18,322 acres.

• More than doubling the annual allocation to the Real Estate Fund, from $5 million in 2022 to $12.3 million in 2025. During the three-year reporting period, the Forest Preserves added 558 acres to its holdings, a 172 percent increase from the preceding three years.

• Building capacity for public programming, outreach and events run by partners. From 2022 to 2025, the number of people who joined an activity in the Forest Preserves rose 22 percent, and the number of times the Forest Preserves connected with someone at a school, community event or online jumped by 47 percent.

• Addressing deferred maintenance and improvements for key public amenities and resources, including nearly $4 million spent on improving conditions for 64 miles of trails on seven trail systems, $2.5 million for repairs at 43 picnic sites, and $1.2 million in match funding for repairs to more than a dozen public restroom buildings.

• Launching a $2 million Garbage Modernization Program with new and retrofitted garbage trucks for new garbage receptacles that won’t rust or dent. More than a third of the new totes are for recycling, and the percentage of recyclable refuse rose from 3 percent to 18.5 percent from 2022 to 2025.

• Guaranteeing the long-term health of the Forest Preserves pension fund by meeting the actuarial requirements for the employer contribution, raising the annual contribution from $4.2 million in 2022 to $12.4 million in 2025.

• Providing dedicated funding for critical infrastructure and facility improvements and long-term maintenance to Brookfield Zoo Chicago and Chicago Botanic Garden. The annual funding from the Forest Preserves increased by $4.7 million for the Zoo from 2022 to 2025, and by $2.8 million for the Garden.

“More than 100 years ago, the residents of Cook County saw the value in protecting dedicated natural spaces. Today, in a region as densely populated as Cook County, public land is an essential benefit for our collective quality of life—from climate mitigation and educational programs to healthy recreation and habitat protection,” said Adam Bianchi, the General Superintendent of the Forest Preserves.

The report concludes by noting that the funds from the referendum are now part of the DNA of the Forest Preserves.

“Four years after passage of the referendum, these resources are incorporated into our organization and make a difference in how we operate every day,” Bianchi said.

###

About the Forest Preserves of Cook County
Don’t you sometimes just want to escape? Explore the natural beauty of Cook County for an hour, a day or even a night. When you’re surrounded by 70,000 acres of wild and wonderful there’s no better place to feel free.