Did taxpayers fund overnight hotel stays (including Chicago) for conferences every year, which includes food, transportation, hotel, etc?

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.