The Naperville Park District will put a $120 million bond sale question on the March 2026 election ballot, scaled back from the initial $135 million referendum that had been discussed. Naperville Park Board members voted unanimously Thursday night to pursue the modified referendum after evaluating r esident feedback, including the responses to a survey mailed to more than 53,000 households and texted to more than 60,000 people in the fall that received more than 8,000 responses. “To have over 8,000 responses to the survey, a 15% response rate for a community of our size, that’s a tremendous response,” Executive Director Brad Wilson said. Results showed that 53% of respondents were likely to vote “yes” on the measure, 42% were likely to vote “no” and 5% were undecided. The strongest reason for opposition was concern over property taxes, survey results showed. Specifically, 44% of respondents indicated they were either somewhat or much more likely to support the original estimated annual tax increase of $139 for a home with a fair market value of $500,000 and 34% were much or somewhat less likely to support it. About 56% of respondents said they believed property taxes were too high, which was the strongest reason cited in opposition to the proposal. A majority of residents said purchasing more outdoor land and construction of a Frontier Sports Complex in south Naperville were their highest priority for bond-related projects, both receiving a net support rating of 19%. Other projects, including upgrades to the Nike Sports Complex, Wolf’s Crossing Community Park and County Lakes Park and refrigerated outdoor ice rinks, received significantly less support. In response to the feedback, the district trimmed the referendum proposal to cover just the two projects with the greatest support, decreasing the referendum request from $135 million to $120 million. As a result of the new amount, the tax impact for residents has also dropped. If approved, the new estimated annual tax impact of the bond sale is $117 — less than $10 per month — for a home with a fair market value of $500,000. Officials say that even with the addition of the bonds, Naperville will still have one of the lowest park district tax rates in the area, according to the district’s website. As currently envisioned, a new Frontier Sports Complex activity center would have indoor swimming pools, gym space and group exercise rooms, among other features. The price tag is estimated at $119 million. The district also is eyeing the purchase of 6.5 acres of land adjacent to Heritage Woods in north Naperville and 5.7 acres of wooded property near Walnut Ridge Park at a total of about $5 million, money for which would come from district budget reserves. “It’s really not our choice whether or not this referendum goes through. It’s the people’s choice. It’s the people’s voices that we want to hear from,” park board member Alison Thompson said, who called the referendum a “win-win” regardless of the outcome. “Either we get a great new project, an exciting new project we get to work on or we’ve heard from you guys and you said ‘no’ and we can point to that and say, ‘Naperville doesn’t want or need this right now,’” Thompson said. The referendum comes in response to growing community demands for more services and facilities. Prior research conducted by the district indicated that residents want to see more outdoor trails and indoor recreation spaces, particularly more aquatic facilities. Beyond that, membership and use continue to climb at the district’s Fort Hill Activity Center. Compared to last year, fitness center use is up by 19%, park district officials said at a Nov. 13 board meeting. Personal training at Fort Hill is up by 28%, group exercise is up by 13% and track use is up by 23%. While the most recent survey results show the referendum is likely to pass, there has been opposition to the measure. Notably, the Fry Family YMCA and the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago have urged the park district to halt the referendum, citing concerns over duplicative services and an unnecessary financial burden on residents. YMCA officials said the proposed Frontier Sports Complex is too similar and too close in proximity to other facilities in south Naperville, including the Fry Family YMCA. District officials disagree, saying they don’t see it competing with other facilities, the district website said. “We know this referendum is not going to fulfill what everyone wants,” board member Aishwarya Balakrishna said. “At the end of the day, our job is to find balance and find the best possible solution that will address the park district’s gaps and the needs of the entire community.” Fry Family YMCA Executive Director Erika Wood said Friday that she understands why the board approved the referendum. “We respect the park board’s decision to move forward, and now the community will have the opportunity to evaluate whether they believe the proposal is the most efficient and best way to meet the needs of Naperville,” Wood said. [email protected] ...read more read less