Northfield Parks referendum will be back on ballots in March

A margin of 32 votes was enough for a result on the Northfield Park District referendum in 2025, but it was not enough for park officials to call it quits.

The close call last April, even in defeat, is a driving force behind the park district’s second attempt to increase its tax base in support of multiple capital projects.

The Northfield Park Board unanimously agreed in November 2025 to again put a referendum on the ballot — this time the Gubernatorial Primary Election on March 17. The voters will answer whether to allow the district to raise its limiting tax rate by 0.1 percentage point, or 50% (from 0.2% to 0.3%), an increase that the district projects will bring in an additional $600,000.

Park District Executive Director Bill Byron said the district is hoping the additional time it has had to state the case for the referendum will pay off. The district has created a dedicated webpage to detail the referendum further.

“Last year we had a huge voter turnout, which is great, but what we didn’t have was a long window to get the word out,” Byron said. “We’ve been working on community awareness … and want to make sure everybody knows about (the referendum).”

The impetus for the tax ask is the district’s 2023 master plan, a document informed by resident feedback that focuses on expansion, as in additional amenities.

After reviewing their options, park officials decided a tax-rate increase was the most efficient way to support the new amenities, which could include a bigger recreation center, a new pocket park and outdoor bathrooms in Willow Park.

Some details on those three projects, which carry a combined price tag of at least $5 million, are:

• Rec center expansion: 3,000 more square feet of indoor space for youth programming, a new roof, and a community/flex space;
• Pocket park: A land deal with the Village on the north side of town, playground, woodland overlook, and potential for connection to Skokie Valley Trail;
• Outdoor restrooms at Willow Park: a heavily requested amenity, Byron said.

Other improvements on the district’s wish list include repairs to tennis and pickleball courts, ongoing maintenance for the Clarkson Park ice rink, renovations to baseball fields, and new surfacing for the Clarkson Park playground.

The district’s referendum webpage says “A successful referendum would support the increasing costs of ongoing maintenance and also provide funding to expand programs, elevate our event experiences and acquire land for new parks.”

Byron said that the Northfield Park District until now has served its users with a long period of slow growth, reportedly spending $11 million on projects over 25 years, expenses heavily supported by grants and fundraising. To speed up that growth, he said, the district needs more reliable annual funds, which would result from an approved referendum.

“This master plan calls for $10 million in five years. That’s a major difference in hitting the accelerator,” he said. “If we’re going to do that, we need a different route and that’s a referendum.”

If the referendum passes, Northfield Park District residents will see an estimated increase of $30 per $100,000 of assessed property value. That’s $300 per year on a home valued at $1 million.

A primary argument against the referendum, according to Byron and minutes from 2025 Park Board meetings, centers on current economic conditions, and he said, “It’s tough right now. Some people are not looking for any tax increase.”

Another critique of the plan is that some residents are happy with the “great product at a low price,” Byron said. That opinion, he said, is something the park district is trying to square with the opposing view from residents who want more.

“That’s why we’re putting the question to voters,” he said.

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