𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒 & 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃

𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲:
The Pekin Park District Board of Commissioners would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who participated in our recent voter survey and the facility interest survey conducted last fall. Your feedback is essential as we make decisions about the future of our parks, facilities, and community programs.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬
The survey helped us evaluate two paths for funding needed repairs and infrastructure projects across the District: a bond referendum or a tax rate increase. While the survey highlighted how much residents value our parks and want key facilities repaired, the consensus was clear: the majority of voters do not support a referendum on a tax rate increase at this time.

𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐍𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐦
We hear you. The Park District board of commissioners will not pursue a tax rate increase referendum. We understand the financial pressures our residents face from property taxes and inflation. Because community trust is our top priority, we are honoring your input and putting this option aside.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝
While we are not moving forward with a referendum, the financial and structural challenges facing our parks remain:
・Stretched Dollars: For every $1.00 the District receives in property taxes, we deliver $5.03 in park facilities, programs, and services—one of the highest returns on investment in Illinois.
・Low Tax Share: Park District property taxes account for only ~4.6% of a typical Pekin resident's tax bill.
・Rising Costs: Materials, maintenance, repairs, and labor costs continue to rise, while our tax rate has remained unchanged since 1980 (45 years ago).

𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭
Moving forward, the Board will focus on non-tax options to manage costs and fund critical needs:
・Alternative Revenue: Aggressively seeking state/federal grants, sponsorships, and optimizing user/program fees.
・Budget Prioritization: Reviewing existing budgets to reallocate funds toward high-priority repairs.
・Difficult Choices: If alternative funding falls short, the Board may eventually need to evaluate tough trade-offs, such as restructuring programs or scaling back/closing specific park features that are no longer financially sustainable to operate.

We deeply appreciate your candid feedback and partnership. Our goal remains unchanged: to steward taxpayer dollars responsibly while keeping Pekin’s parks safe, beautiful, and accessible for all. For the full-length referendum update, an example of the survey, and a deep dive presentation on the results, visit:
https://www.pekinparkdistrict.org/voter-survey-results-tax-rate-referendum-update-july-2026