THE FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT of COOK COUNTY Study and Recommendations
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Friends of the Parks THE FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY Study and Recommendations Phase II October 2002 Friends of the Forest Preserves Friends of the Parks 5225 Old Orchard Road, Suite 37 55 E. Washington, Suite 1911 Skokie, IL 60077 Chicago, IL 60602-2174 (847) 965-1150 (312) 857-2757 © 2002 by Friends of the Forest Preserves and Friends of the Parks. All rights reserved. Contents Preface.......................................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary..................................................................................................................... 1 Foreword ....................................................................................................................................... 5 The Board...................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 7 Interview questions and answers........................................................................................... 8 Discussion................................................................................................................................ 21 Committees......................................................................................................................... 21 Public participation ........................................................................................................... 22 Focusing the forest preserve board on the forest preserves ........................................ 23 Recommendations.................................................................................................................. 24 Staffing and Operations........................................................................................................... 27 Staff interviews ....................................................................................................................... 27 Methods............................................................................................................................... 27 Forestry................................................................................................................................ 28 Law Enforcement............................................................................................................... 30 Conservation....................................................................................................................... 32 Maintenance ....................................................................................................................... 35 Planning & Development ................................................................................................. 38 Recreation ........................................................................................................................... 41 Finance & Administration ................................................................................................ 43 The General Superintendent’s Assistant ........................................................................ 45 Off-the-record comments ...................................................................................................... 46 The staff and operations ................................................................................................... 46 The board ............................................................................................................................ 47 Observations from outside.................................................................................................... 48 Discussion................................................................................................................................ 49 Relationship between staff and the board...................................................................... 49 Policies................................................................................................................................. 51 Staffing levels ..................................................................................................................... 52 Organizational issues ........................................................................................................ 52 Hiring procedures.............................................................................................................. 54 Recommendations.................................................................................................................. 54 Public Outreach and Involvement ......................................................................................... 57 Public relations........................................................................................................................ 57 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 61 Publications ............................................................................................................................. 62 Print media ......................................................................................................................... 62 Friends of the Forest Preserves & Friends of the Parks i October 2002 CONTENTS Internet ................................................................................................................................ 64 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 64 Outreach................................................................................................................................... 65 Citizen initiatives ............................................................................................................... 65 Advisory groups ................................................................................................................ 68 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 69 Recommendations.................................................................................................................. 69 Analysis of 2002 Budget ........................................................................................................... 73 Total 2002 revenue.................................................................................................................. 73 Distribution of property-tax dollars .................................................................................... 74 Distribution of 2002 appropriations: corporate fund ........................................................ 75 Comparison with prior years’ budgets ............................................................................... 77 Changes in the total budget (all funds) since 1980........................................................ 77 Budgeting changes in the corporate fund since 1980 ................................................... 79 Discussion................................................................................................................................ 79 Accounting practices ......................................................................................................... 79 Forest Preserve District’s response in the 2002 budget to its deficit........................... 80 Chicago Botanic Garden and Brookfield Zoo................................................................ 81 Recommendations.................................................................................................................. 82 Afterword.................................................................................................................................... 85 Figures Figure 1. Budgeted vs. actual headcount, selected departments......................................... 52 Figure 1. Portions of 2002 total budget derived from tax revenues ($69.2 million).......... 75 Figure 2. Breakdown of corporate fund ($44.7 million) by department............................. 75 Figure 3. Budgets by fund (from all sources, both tax and non-tax), 1980–2002............... 78 Tables Table 1. Budget summary for 2002........................................................................................... 73 Table 2. Budget allocations from property taxes, 2002.......................................................... 74 Table 3. Budgets by fund (from all sources, both tax and non-tax), 1980–2002................. 78 Table 4. Budgets by department (from corporate fund), 1980–2002 ................................... 79 ii Friends of the Forest Preserves & Friends of the Parks October 2002 Preface Friends of the Forest Preserves is a citizen group dedicated to supporting the Forest Preserve District of Cook County in its mission of protecting land for conservation, recreation, and education. Friends of the Forest Preserves has brought together picnic grove users, hikers, bike and horseback riders, birders, boaters, restoration volunteers, and many others to advocate good conservation and recreation in our forest preserves. Friends of the Forest Preserves researches problems and opportunities and has produced a variety of reports and testified