We all cheered when Roy Gayle Park was saved last year. It was a heroic
effort that combined the skills of Rockford Pony League executives, the
Rockford Park District and the Winnebago Park District.
The
Rockford Park District received half the money to buy Roy Gayle from an
Open Space Land And Development grant. Half came from the league.
Money
for parks such as Roy Gayle in communities across Illinois will be at
risk if the money to make land purchases is not available. The money is
available, if lawmakers keep their hands off it.
But as with other dedicated funds in the state, money has been, or will be, diverted to other purposes.
When
property changes hands in Illinois, people pay a Real Estate Transfer
Tax. A percentage of that tax is directed into the OSLAD account. In
2003, $29 million was diverted into the state’s general fund.
In
2005, less than half of the money generated by the tax was used to buy
land. In 2006, only 32 percent of the money was used for its intended
purpose.
The 2007 state budget was a good one. About $32 million
was allocated, but the 2008 budget that lawmakers are haggling over in
Springfield now only has $24 million available.
A coalition of
environmental groups wants $36 million to be allocated in the 2008
budget. Their request is reasonable, considering the fund has more that
twice that amount, about $80 million, in it.
Many worthwhile
projects will be rejected and conservation opportunities will be missed
if there’s not enough money available to buy land for parks,
recreational lands, wildlife habitat and natural areas.
Money
collected for a specific purpose should be used for that purpose.
Unfortunately, in Illinois, the trend has been to take dollars from
funds targeted for roads, student loans and others to prop up an ailing
state budget.
Land acquisition is a particular need. The state
ranks last — that’s right, last — among Midwestern states in acres
protected per capita.
OSLAD, started in 1986, is a good program,
but it is not the only one. The Natural Areas Acquisition Fund also is
financed by the Real Estate Transfer Tax. That fund is used to protect
ecologically vulnerable areas. It too deserves full funding. There is
$12 million in unappropriated money in the fund, and environmental
groups would like to see $28 million used. Another reasonable request.
OSLAD
and NAAF are two ways the state can make money available for land
purchases. A third would be setting aside money in a capital budget for
open spaces.
The 1999 capital budget created the Open Lands
Trust that was used to finance local projects such as land acquisition
by the Winnebago County Forest Preserve in 2003; money for Sugar River
Greenway II in 2003, a grant for the Nygren Wetland Trail Access in
2001 and a grant for the Stone Bridge Trail in 2002.
The Open
Lands Trust ran out of money in 2003, and the state has not had a
capital budget since Gov. Rod Blagojevich took office.
We don’t
have to look far for an example of how it should be done. Wisconsin has
recommitted about $50 million per year for open spaces under its
Stewardship 2000 program. Wisconsin already ranks second in the Midwest
in state-owned recreation acres per capita.
Wisconsin is ahead of Illinois and continues to invest in itself.
There’s only so much land available, and Illinois needs to secure space so its residents can enjoy the great outdoors.
