Frequently Asked Questions
Agency
The State of Illinois requires all government entities to file a tax levy by the end of December annually. The tax levy is capped at 5% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower. This year, the Park District requested a 3.15% tax increase. The Oak Brook Park District’s fiscal year is May 1 – April 30. This fiscal year for budgeting purposes is used by the majority of park districts in the State. With a May 1 fiscal year start, newly elected officials (usually sworn in at the May annual meeting) take office at the beginning of the budget year. Park District law authorizes budget amendments at any time in accordance with specified procedures. Most programming starts in the Spring which provides for revenue generation at the beginning of the fiscal year.
Yes, in July 2015 the Park District obtained a price quote from Pentegra systems, a recognized vendor in the industry, for the labor and material required to upgrade audio recordings for its public meetings. The range estimate was between $11,000 to $13,000 depending on the preferred style of microphone.
Staff recently assessed other alternatives and determined the following:
The cost for upgrading audio recordings (for basic audio using 360 degree coverage microphones) is $900. Adding video recording (just two webcams, mounting and cables without text graphics) is $1,400. These videos would be posted on YouTube. The quality would not produce professional results. To provide professional quality output, a $15,000 to $20,000 investment is required for a professional system. Staff are not recommending this option as the system would typically be used only one time per month. The staff’s recommendation is to invest in audio recordings and add the cost for same to the budget for FY2025-2026.
Yes. Oak Brook Park District uses Active Network LLC (ActiveNet) for registration software. ActiveNet has over 1,500 clients, including Elmhurst and Naperville Park Districts and 34 Illinois park districts. The software generates reports showing the number of residents and non-resident participants in programs and memberships.
Fee determinations are based on several factors, including program/activity expenses, consumer demand, competitive factors (including benchmarking costs against other Park Districts), the extensive knowledge and experience that the District’s professional staff has with park and recreation trends and the specific programs, memberships and rentals in question. Membership definitions and fee schedules are transparently detailed in sections 5.5 (Recreation Programs, Memberships, and Facility Fees Policies and Definitions) and 6.1 (Definitions for the Use of and Membership in Park District Facilities and Recreation Programs) of the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual.
No, not all full-time employees have purchase cards. The policies and procedures in place for purchasing are found in Section 4.11 (Procurement Card Policy) and section 4.12 (Purchasing Policy) of the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual.
A Compensation Disclosure must be published annually on our website within 6 business days after Board approval of its annual budget and appropriation ordinance. The Board anticipates final budget and appropriation ordinance approval on April 21, 2025. Based on this date, the District intends to publish the compensation disclosure on or before April 29, 2025. This disclosure shows amounts budgeted for FY 2025/2026. Actual compensation for FY 2025/2026 will differ.
There are several events each year where alcohol is included in the registration fee or available for participants attending the event to purchase. Examples are, A Walk in the Park Wine Tour, Barks & Brews, Summer Concerts and Brews & Views.
Maintaining synthetic turf is done by one staff member every quarter. Maintenance takes approximately 2 hours each time. Wages, fuel, and synthetic drag upkeep amount to $300.00 annually.
Indiana Elite Soccer Club had a single-use rental for tryouts on this field on June 3rd from 5-8pm.
Of the Central Park North project costs, $880,000 was funded by a grant obtained from the State of Illinois. These funds are not paid back to the State. The remainder of the project was funded through non-referendum bonds. These bonds also partially funded a new Aquatic HVAC unit. These 15-year bonds were assigned a AAA bond rating (the highest rating available) by Moody’s Investors Service.
The Park District has approximately $9 million in the bank depending on the time of the year. $1 million of those dollars are restricted funds for Social Security, Risk Management (Insurance), Audit, and IMRF (Pension) obligations. IMRF is funded by the Park District and is not associated with the State of Illinois pension system. $8 Millon is fund balance reserve for the General Fund, Recreation Fund, Capital Projects Fund and the Tennis Center Fund. These reserves are established by board policy and evaluated by Moody’s and creditors. The Park District must maintain 3-9 months of reserves in each fund per board policy. The current unrestricted fund balance constitutes approximately 5-6 months of reserves, within the board-established parameters.
Under the Illinois Park District Code (“Park Code”), the default number of commissioners on a park board is five. The number of commissioners can be increased to seven by binding referendum or resolution. Also under the Park Code, the default term length for park commissioners is six years. The term length can be shortened to four years by referendum or resolution.
In 2012, an Oak Brook resident initiated a petition for a non-binding referendum to reduce the term of office for park commissioners from 6 years to 4 years and increase the number of commissioners from 5 to a 7-members. The questions were flawed as they did not provide voters with complete information regarding the proposed changes.
The residents rejected the non-binding proposition to increase the number of commissioners. The residents approved the non-binding question to reduce term lengths.
After the referendum, the Board considered the number of seats up at each subsequent election, and concluded that shortening terms to four years would enable any faction to take complete control of the board in a single election. The then-commissioners also believed that four year terms reduced the strength of the electorate’s voice on longer term issues and objectives. The instability in district operations that would result from shortening commissioner terms on a five-member board was determined to be considerable, and more costly and detrimental to the organization than any perceived benefit. The board concluded that 6-year terms remained the best outcome for the residents of the Park District.
No individual employee of the Park District has the authority to spend District funds except pursuant to a board-approved policy or express Board authorization. Policy, the budget, the Executive Director and Corporate Counsel are all within the purview of the Park Board. There are policies in place that the Park District must follow for bidding, purchasing and expenditures. The budget, capital purchases, and change orders over $10,000 are all approved or rejected by the Board.
Each Staff member and Commissioner are allotted meal expenses at conferences for the day. If a person is at conference, for part of the day, then the allocation is adjusted. If the meal reimbursement is $75.00 per day, and a staff member is only coming for the morning until after lunch, it would only be $40.00 for meal reimbursement. Therefore, if a staff member chooses to use all $75.00 for one meal if they attended the entire day, it is permissible. This documentation is all tracked through our travel expense forms. If for some reason, the amount goes over the daily meal expenses, the staff member or the Commissioner would reimburse the Park District. To date, this has not happened. Moreover, the tip is not included in the meal reimbursement policy.
The Park District had community input meetings on August 8, 2024 and August 19, 2024 to gather community input for the playground and outdoor tennis project. The District also had the preschoolers vote on the playground equipment! The community wanted to upgrade the outdoor tennis courts, increase outdoor pickleball and update two playgrounds as they have all outlived their useful life. Three million dollars of this project will be funded by the Tennis Center, which operates without the use of any taxpayer revenue. In 2024, grants were applied for but not successfully obtained, so this project is on hold until alternate funding can be secured.
An Oak Brook resident who is In-District pays 8.46% of their total property tax bill to the Oak Brook Park District. Thirty-one (31) percent of the Park District Tax Levy is paid for by corporations, roughly $1.7M. Forty percent of the Park District’s revenue comes from property taxes. Forty-seven percent of the Park District revenues comes from “Charges for Services and Programs”. Any “Out of District” patrons pay at least 25% more in fees for programming and 20% more in a membership. The only exception to this rule is for Senior Programming as we try to keep all fees at the minimum. Most tax levy expenditures go to our beautiful parks, repairs and maintenance, and administrative services.
Most of the “fine dining” receipts are from our senior paid programming. As District stewards, we attempt to do this programming locally, therefore, many receipts are from local Oak Brook establishments which are paid for by the senior program participants.
Commissioners do not give out memberships. They do give out guest passes to promote the Park District. No state laws are being broken as the lifetime membership is a de minimis expense to the Park District.
The Park District’s programming includes Travel Club, with many participants. The Travel Club takes many trips including those referenced above. This past year the group traveled to the Canadian Rockies and Maine for the Fall Colors, and Italy in April! A staff member takes a group to these destinations. Staff travel expenses are paid for by the travel participants from program fees, not from taxes. The Canadian Rockies trip realized a net profit of $7,770. Staff also take tennis teams to Indiana, Florida, and South Carolina. Program fees also pay the staff expenses on these trips. The last three National Conferences were in Phoenix, Dallas, and Atlanta where the Park District was a Gold Medal Finalist and staff presented sessions. The flights to these conferences were paid for through points on Park District’s purchase cards.
Each year, thousands of Illinois park district commissioners and staff attend the Illinois Association of Park Districts/Illinois Park and Recreation Association Conference in Chicago. The conference conducts more than 165 educational sessions and hosts over 325 exhibits. The educational sessions provide information on legal changes, risk management and best practices in the fields of recreational programming, public employment, public finance, real estate and development, construction, Open Meetings Act/Freedom of Information Act, sustainability, and public private partnerships among others. Some staff and Commissioners do stay overnight depending on their schedule at conference. Many conference sessions start as early as 8:30am, and board and staff members also attend committee meetings, and annual business meetings, which often are not completed until 8pm. The Park District Staff and Commissioners typically stay at the discounted conference-recommended hotel.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Oak Brook population in 2010 was 7,883 and as of July 1, 2023, the resident population in Oak Brook is 8,049.
In 2010, the CPI was 219.179. In 2024, the CPI was at 315.605. The Park District estimates that expenses have increased by 44% over the last 14 years. Also included in the last 14 years the Park District has opened new facilities, acquired new real estate property and substantially increased programming, events, and memberships, all of which is open and available to residents of Oak Brook.
In 2022, the Village Manager was hired at $182,000 with no prior Village Manager experience. In the same year, the Executive Director’s salary was $182,229 with 12 years of experience. As of 2025, the Village Manager’s salary is $234,555 with 3 years of experience. The Executive Director’s estimated salary is $204,985 for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The Executive Director will make $31,000 less than the Village manager in the agencies’ 2025-26 fiscal years. This is only an estimate as the Park District Budget has not been approved as of today.
The Executive Director of the Naperville Park District was hired in 2022 with no prior experience as an Executive Director at $169,000. After 2 years of experience, the Executive Director’s salary is $183,818. In 2023/2024, the Oak Brook Executive Director’s salary was 189,530 with 14 years of experience.
The Executive Director of the Elmhurst Park District was promoted in 2012 and in 2024 has a salary of $196,804. In 2024/2025, the Oak Brook Park District Executive Director’s salary is $197,101.
The Village of Oak Brook and Oak Brook Park District agreed upon a mutually beneficial partnership for the management of the outdoor pool, tennis, and soccer fields. Unfortunately, due to the of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Village of Oak Brook and Oak Brook Park District amicably agreed to dissolve the partnership after the 2021 season. In 2019 the Park District distributed net profit percentage to the Village of Oak Brook in the amount of $6,829.51.
Please see Section 3 A of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Village of Oak Brook and Oak Brook Park District
Click here to learn about volunteering at the Oak Brook Park District.
Master and Strategic Plans may be found here.
Holistic Wellness: Provide programs, services, and opportunities designed to improve all aspects of the overall wellness of the community.
Environmental Stewardship: Foster the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through education, conservation, and sustainable practices.
Inclusion: Promote a sense of belonging and provide access to the very best in park and recreational opportunities for all.
Teamwork: Embrace the individuality and diverse viewpoints of our staff in order to foster recreational creativity and encourage a collaborative culture.
Community Engagement: Provide the very best customer experience with every interaction.
Open Communication: Engage in honest, and respectful communication, to connect and build relationships with our community.
To provide a diverse, inclusive and holistic range of opportunities designed to keep the community happy, fit and active.
It is the mission of the Oak Brook Park District to provide the very best in park and recreational opportunities, facilities, and open lands for our community.
While the population of Oak Brook has increased 3.5% over the past 10 years*, the property tax collected, excluding the referendum to purchase land in 2018 has increased 53.64%.
If we remove the tax levy attributed to our 2019 General Obligation bonds (“referendum bonds”), which passed with a 68% approval rating, then the total tax rate has increased from .1674 in 2000, to .2572 in 2023. This represents a 53.64% increase in the tax rate over a 23-year period. Much of this increase is due to inflation. **
* Oak Brook Population Trends.pdf
** Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States.pdf
Commissioner John O’Brien was on the board for 22 years, stepping down in 2015. Throughout his tenure, Commissioner O’Brien owned a home in Oak Brook and paid taxes. While on the Park District Board, Commissioner O’Brien did travel for his job and frequently called in to join the board meetings which are permissible by Park District Code. Once Commissioner O’Brien stepped down; the application process began immediately. Five applications were received, and all five applicants were interviewed by the Park District Board. Kevin Tan was appointed in 2015 and then elected by the Oak Brook residents in 2017. Click here for more information.
Family Aquatic Center
Lap Pool: 79-82 degrees
Leisure Pool: 84-86 degrees
Whirlpool: 101-104 degrees
Though these times may vary, the available guidelines are as follows:
During the school year (Labor Day – Memorial Day):
- Weekdays are best 5:30 AM – 4:00 PM, but check for closures due to Fluid Running classes.
- Weekends are best 12pm to close.
During the summer (Memorial Day - Labor Day):
- Weekdays are best 5:30am-8am, Noon to 4pm and after 7pm. Please check the Fluid Running schedule for morning closures.
- Weekends are best 12pm-close
Lap swim is available outside of these hours but there are other events happening at the aquatic that may limit the number of lanes available, including times when the lap pool is completely closed for programming.
Please see our most current schedule for up to the date information. Special events are noted through email communications and signage throughout the pool and locker rooms.
Yes, unless you are two years of age or under. Paying the daily fee covers entrance to the entire facility.
Yes, outside food is allowed but can only be consumed in the designated concession areas.
Family Recreation Center
- Please clean your equipment after each use with the gym wipes that are available throughout our facility.
- Please return all equipment to its proper location.
Fitness Center
Out of courtesy and privacy, patrons are NOT allowed to talk on their cell phones in the fitness center or on the track. If there is an issue, please notify one of our staff members to address the issue.
Membership
Tennis
Yes, we ask that you wear athletic clothing and tennis shoes with non-marking soles. A shirt is required to be worn at all times.
Yes, the Tennis Center strings racquets offering a wide variety of strings to choose from.
We have courtesy racquets for your use at no charge and premium demos available for $5.00 rental fee. In addition, we offer a 2-month premium demo racquet rental for $25.00. If you purchase a racquet from us within the 2-month period, we will apply the $25.00 rental fee toward your purchase. All rentals may not leave our facility.
Yes, 2 make-ups are allowed per session. To be eligible for a make-up, please call 630-990-4660 at least 24 hours in advance to inform us that you will be missing the class. (This will provide an opportunity for others to use your spot for a make-up). A make-up class can be taken at or below the level you are currently registered for. To schedule your make-up, please call the above number to reserve your make-up spot.
If you do not have a USTA ranking, one of our professional teaching staff can evaluate you free of charge. Please call us at 630-990-4660 to request an evaluation appointment.
Yes, private lessons are offered at member pricing. Non-members will pay a guest fee. To request a private lesson, call front desk at 630-990-4660.
We offer both junior and adult level programming from age 3 to 100 and are able to accommodate beginner to 4.5 level players. Our adult programming includes practices, cardio tennis, leagues and teams. For our junior players, we offer practices, match play and tennis specific athletic training. We are a USTA 10 and Under Tennis Accredited Program.
All programs are available at member and non-member rate. Our group lesson schedule can be found at obparks.org/tennis
All new memberships require a one-time non-refundable $100 enrollment fee. (Excluding Junior and Summer Membership and the Tennis Center) All memberships that have been expired for 30 days or more will be required to pay a $100 enrollment fee upon renewal.
Yes, we offer a variety party packages including children’s parties. Please contact Leticia Limonez at 630-645-9512 for information.
In addition to 8 indoor and 8 outdoor courts, the Tennis Center offers racquetball, wallyball, ping pong, women’s and men’s saunas and a fitness room.
The Tennis Center has 8 indoor climate controlled courts and 8 outdoor courts.
Yes, you are able to rent a ball machine for a small fee in addition to your court fee. Please call 630-990-4660 to reserve your court time with a ball machine.
To avoid charges a 24-hour notice is required to cancel court reservation, private lesson or drop in program. If cancellations are late (less than 24-hour notice), you will be charged for the court reservation, private lesson or drop in program.
All Members & Non-Members are responsible for the court fee each time they reserve a court. All non-members must pay an additional guest fee.
Members may reserve a court up to 7 days in advance.
All players are responsible for the court fee each time they reserve a court. All non-members must pay an additional guest fee.
Yes. Only members are permitted to reserve a court.
Yes. If you choose to upgrade your membership the upgrade will be effective until your expiration date/anniversary date; we will not provide any temporary upgrades.
For monthly pay memberships we accept all major credit cards.