McHenry council says no to $45m recreation center referendum, but ‘disappointed’ mayor vows to try again

In the five years since McHenry voters turned down a $30 million referendum request to expand the city’s recreation center, construction costs have ballooned.

The same proposed expansion, plus additional gym space, would now cost $45 million, the McHenry City Council learned this week.

The council voted 3-4 Monday night to not put a more expensive referendum question before voters on the March 19 primary ballot, with Alderwoman Chris Bassi and Aldermen Andrew Glab, Shawn Strach and Michael Koch voting no.

According to preliminary numbers, if approved by voters, the recreation center addition would have cost McHenry taxpayers with a home valued at $275,000 an additional $353 per year on their property tax bill over the life of the bond.

The 2018 question, which lost with 61% of voters saying no, was estimated to cost the “average homeowner” $180 in property taxes.

“I am committed to bring the question to the residents on the general election ballot.”

—  McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett

Mayor Wayne Jett introduced the idea at his September state of the city luncheon of expanding the existing recreation center, and Parks and Recreation Director Bill Hobson presented the plan to the council at its Dec. 4 meeting. To appear on the March ballot, a referendum must be certified with the McHenry County clerk by Jan. 2.

Jett said after the meeting that he was “disappointed that the majority of council denied residents the chance to vote on the recreation center expansion.”

Currently, the existing center, paid for with developer fees and opened in 2016, has 1,239 members and is “breaking even” on cost versus revenue, Hobson said.

At its height, before COVID-19, there were about 2,400 members. That, Hobson said, was too large a number for the small facility to maintain.

In the past year, he added, the recreation center has been gaining members. “It is starting to come back.”

Part of the increased cost is due to adding another basketball court for a total of three in the gym. That would allow McHenry to host tournaments, which can be lucrative for a recreation center, Hobson said.

But without an addition, City Administrator Derik Morefield said he did not believe the center would continue to attract members.

Glab, the 2nd Ward alderman, said he wanted to see a business plan for the center – and be able to explain the need to constituents – before putting it on a ballot.

“This is a huge project at $45 million. I sure don’t want go to referendum without being able to explain to any constituents who asks me questions about it,” Glab said. “Can we sustain that big of a facility with the revenue we would get out of it?”

Koch, of the 6th Ward, indicated he would rather see the question on the November general election, which tends to have higher voter turnout.

“We can wait until November,” Koch said. “It will eventually get done, but not at this time.”

If the expansion is not eventually put in front of voters, the city will have to come to a decision on the outdoor pool, Morefield said. The 30-plus-year-old Merkel Aquatic Facility at Knox Park is in a “lifetime of ... single digits now.”

Jett said he wants to bring the plan forward again in early 2024, to get it on the November ballot. “I am committed to bring the question to the residents on the general election ballot.”