Crystal Lake residents rally for park district – and against recent park board actions

Over 40 people gathered outside the Crystal Lake Park District administration building Tuesday afternoon holding signs reading “Proud of our parks,” “The lake is for all residents” and “Parks for people.”

[ Crystal Lake, Lakewood criticize park board move to leave lake pact ]

The rally was held by a grassroots organization calling itself Parks for the People, a group of Crystal Lake citizens concerned over the recent park board actions, including the dismantling of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy and the intergovernmental Lake Ecology Agreement with Lakewood and Crystal Lake.

The group gathered to “show appreciation for the Park District and all it does to make our community great.”

They also cited concerns over a pending president’s message that is slated to run in the fall program guide. In the letter, park board President Frederick Tiesenga questions whether increased property taxes and increased spending on staff wages is worth it to the taxpaying resident.

“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.

Some residents pushed back against the validity of the numbers at the most recent park district board meeting on July 21. McHenry County Board member John Collins said that shared resources raise property values, support public health, reduce crime and build community.

“Paying for wages for quality service isn’t wasteful – it’s responsible,” Collins said. “You’ll be warned that taxes are a condition of keeping your house. That kind of rhetoric is misleading, divisive and frankly, inappropriate.”

Commissioner Cathy Cagle motioned to put the letter on hold from publication, but it failed in a 3-3 vote.

Tiesenga’s numbers in the letter were backed by the statistics company Statisnostics. Parks Commissioner Michael Jacobson pointed out at the July 21 meeting that it appears Statisnostics is co-owned by Tiesenga’s brother Edward Tiesenga. The company used census data and the park district’s financial reports for its findings, a Statisnostics representative said at the meeting. Officials said the company was not paid for the consultation. The park board president did not confirm or deny the family connection at the meeting.

Lifelong Crystal Lake resident Kris Hayden stood in the August heat Tuesday protesting for the removal of Tiesenga as the board’s president. She hopes the board will get together and listen to what residents are calling for. The three new board members, who ran without opposition in the April elections, bring to light the importance of paying attention to local elections, Hayden said.

“In the future, we need to be more informed on the elections,” she said.

As of Tuesday, over 1,100 people had signed an online petition created by the same group calling for the board to “stop acting in their own interest and re-center serving the public in every decision they make.”

Former Park District Board President Debbie Gallagher attended the rally in hopes to bring more awareness of the new park district board, and to call out that the park district is more than the city’s namesake lake.

“I don’t see the current board having a future of the park district in mind,” she said. “They are only seeing the lake, which is a small part of it.”

Crystal Lake resident Michelle Thimios asks for concerned residents to keep attending park district board meetings to “keep pressure” and “hold this board accountable.” The next Crystal Lake Park District Board meeting is Aug. 18.