FY 2007 Budget - Forest Preserve District of Cook County

As stated previously, the District continues to devote the majority of this fund’s resources to those areas
that directly affect the public, with 86 percent of the total Corporate Fund budget devoted to these
purposes (public safety, maintenance of trails, groves, and family picnic areas, and preservation and
restoration of the County’s open spaces). (See Chart 1-F)
As demonstrated by Chart 1-G, the total budgeted full-time equivalent positions for FY 2007 is 5 more than
FY 2006. The District is proposing increasing the number of law enforcement and resource management
personnel to increase public safety and expand volunteer resources and public education programs. The
District recommends adding 6 new law enforcement personnel, 2 new resource management positions,
while eliminating 3 administrative positions.
The FY 2007 Corporate Fund budget also includes a $1 million transfer to the Real Estate Acquisition fund
and a $2.15 million transfer to the Capital Improvement Fund. The transfer to the acquisition fund will
increase the available resources of this fund. The transfer to the CI fund will help fund model land
restoration work and other infrastructure improvements.
Capital Improvement and Construction and Development Funds
Beginning in FY 2005, the District began a major push to improve its major capital facilities and
infrastructure, replace aging vehicles and equipment, and restore some of its holdings. The FY 2007
Budget for the Capital Improvement and Construction and Development funds adds an additional $11
million to non-grant funding already approved in prior years of $71.9 million. This prior year carryover
funding includes about $52.4 million in bond proceeds for capital improvements at the District (the District
also has about $19 million carryover funding for Brookfield Zoo; the Botanic Garden exhausted its bond
proceeds), $11.3 million in property taxes, and $8.2 million in miscellaneous funding such as the Master
Loan Program between Cook County and the District.
Please see separate volume for additional information on the District’s capital improvement plan.
Real Estate Acquisition Fund
The FY 2007 budget for the Real Estate Acquisition includes another contribution from the Corporate Fund
of $1 million. At the end of FY 2006, this fund is expected to have a balance of about $16 million.
Beginning in FY 2005, the Corporate Fund absorbed all indirect expenses of the Acquisition fund such as
the personnel cost associated with land acquisition. The District intends to devote significant resources to
vigorously pursuing the acquisition of land that is currently involved in litigation. While the timing of the
acquisition of any given parcel or lot cannot be determined with certainty, the District intends to do all it
possibly can to facilitate the timely acquisition of the hundreds of parcels of land the District is attempting
to purchase, but is involved in some type of litigation.
Grant Fund
Federal, state, local and third-party grants have been procured by the District to fund over 150 existing
capital projects. The District currently has been awarded over $60 million in government grant funding and
nearly $4 million in third-party grants. The District has received, or is in the process of receiving, over $50
million of the awarded amounts. Over half of this funding, such as the $31 million from the State’s Illinois
First program, was received as an advance. The District intends to complete over $15 million of the grant
funded projects in FY 2007, in addition to the projects funded with other monies.
Bond and Interest Fund
No budget increase is planned for debt service in FY 2007. All increases in capital spending are being
funded either by property taxes or existing resources. The debt service for FY 2007 is budgeted at $13.3
million. The District continues to have one of the lowest debt service of any of the state’s forest preserve
districts, while remaining the largest forest preserve district in the state.
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