Northwest Herald Features Rally in Support of Crystal Lake Park District Which Had No Mention of the Push to Buy HealthBridge

Signs supporting the reinstatement of DEI, the other home of Park Board President Fred Tiesenga, lake access, plus the cost-benefit aspect of the new President’s fall publication letter were on display.

Tiesenga’s proposed letter got three paragraphs in the Northwest Herald story, two of which taken from the letter are below:

“’Please let us know if you would like our Park District tax levy to increase the tax burden on you, or if you would like us to prioritize our budget decisions to flat line or even decrease the hit we take against your home,’ he said in the letter. ‘We know it’s all a matter of striking the right balance, with you the taxpayer as our priority.’

“In his drafted letter, Tiesenga said real estate taxes increased 21% from 2021 to 2022 while park program revenues decreased from 39.4% to 34% of total revenues.”

The article also quoted Democratic Party McHenry County Board member John Collins’ statement at the last Park Board meeting, the entire content of which was published in late July on McHenry County Blog:

Critiquing John Collins’ Critique of Park Board President Fred Tiesenga’s Letter to Constituents about Property Taxes Shows Almost One-Third Increase in His Park District Tax Bill over the Last Ten Years

Steve Willson critiqued Collins’ take on Tiesenga’s proposed letter:

Critiquing John Collins’ Critique of Park Board President Fred Tiesenga’s Letter to Constituents about Property Taxes Shows Almost One-Third Increase in His Park District Tax Bill over the Last Ten Years

I decided to see the effect of park district taxes on the home where Collins resides:

Critiquing John Collins’ Critique of Park Board President Fred Tiesenga’s Letter to Constituents about Property Taxes Shows Almost One-Third Increase in His Park District Tax Bill over the Last Ten Years

Summarizing what I found is in the table below:

Missing on the signs and in the article was any mention of the push by Crystal Lake Mayor Haig Haleblian for the Park District to purchase HealthBridge.

Collins also opined on that in the June meeting:

Democratic Party County Board Member John Collins Argues for Crystal Lake Park District Purchase of HealthBridge

Also posted here was a critique of Collins’ comments by Steve Willson:

Counterpoint to John Collins’ Argument That the Crystal Lake Park District Should Buy HealthBridge

The lack of support on the signs for the Park District’s buying HealthBridge is probably significant.

Undoubtedly, some members of the newly-formed group calling itself “Parks for the People” must have read the article linked below:

Park District Director Writes that “the Park District Is No Longer Pursuing the Healthbridge Facility”

So, it appears that the protestors were what Steve Willson would characterize as “cheer leaders” as opposed to “taxpayer fiduciaries.”

It seems with the Board having apparently made the decision not to pursue the purchase of HealthBridge with tax dollars those Willson would put in counterpoint as representatives of the taxpayers.