Open Spaces In the News

The issue: Much of the money collected through real estate fees that's supposed to go to recreation projects isn't getting allocated for that purpose.

We say: The money needs to be spent as it is supposed to be. If not, the risk remains that the fund will be raided to support other projects in the state.

Each year, Illinois collects millions of dollars in real estate transfer taxes. A portion of that money is supposed to go toward funding parks and recreation projects. But it doesn't always work out that way.

The reason for that can be found in the third word of this editorial: Illinois.

In this state, you never can be sure something will happen the way it is designed. It's the way politicians have run things for decades, and it's the way it will continue to happen unless the public looks upon such shenanigans with disgust and does something about it.

As it is, we have a situation here in the Southland (and elsewhere in the state) where parks and recreation departments want to provide citizens with such amenities as new athletic fields, a canoe launch, new playground equipment and a walking path. But state revenue they were counting on to make these plans reality may not be available.

The state is supposed to allocate matching grant money through the Open Space Land Acquisition Development (OSLAD) fund. But for the past few years, the money collected has been greater than the money that has been allocated for recreation projects. It's not for lack of requests for the grant money. It's just the way things work in this state.

"It can be an accounting shell game," Jonathan Goldman, director of the nonprofit Illinois Environment Council, told the Daily Southtown's Angela Caputo.

For every $1,000 paid in a property transaction, 35 cents is contributed to OSLAD. Since 2002, contributions to the fund have doubled. But in 2005, less than 60 percent of the funds collected were awarded in the same year. In 2006, less than half was awarded. Though the program allocated more money this year than any before in its two-decade history -- $33 million -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich's 2008 proposal calls for only $24 million to be spent -- or 70 percent of the fund.

The state claims it needs to build up a reserve, especially because of the volatility of the real estate market in any given year. The fund currently has an $81 million balance. But history tells us to be leery and not assume that money eventually will find its way into recreation programs. In 2003, the Legislature approved transferring $29 million in OSLAD funds into the state general fund, which made it available for other
purposes.

There's nothing to say something like that won't happen again. Our governor prides himself on his "no new taxes" stance. But once you commit yourself to that stance, you need to find sources of revenue to fund some programs, and raiding other funds is a solution that's too often applied.

That means the funds like OSLAD are not the reliable revenue source it was hoped they'd be. As a result, the fate of funding is in doubt for such projects as the $500,000 Island Prairie Park Nature Center in Frankfort Square or the $1 million makeover of Sears Park in Alsip.

This should be a no-brainer. Government money collected for a specific reason should be used for that reason. If it's allowed to remain unspent in this state, eventually someone will notice and it could wind up being transferred to support something unrelated. Then it becomes recreation money used for non-recreation purposes. But, hey, that's Illinois.