This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

REC Center Referendum on Tuesday's Ballot

Non-binding referendum will provide guidance to city council.

Yorkville voters will be asked to weigh in on whether or not the United City of Yorkville should purchase the REC Center, which the city has been leasing for about five years.

A referendum question on the ballot reads:

“Should the United City of Yorkville purchase the Rec Center to operate as a public recreation facility through a 20- year installment purchase contract at a purchase price not to exceed $ 2.5 million with interest at a rate not to exceed 6% per year?”

Find out what's happening in Yorkvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A "yes" or "no" vote will provide guidance to city council members on how to procede.

The REC Center currently has 1,400 members. Over 3,000 people use the facility every month, according to city documents. These members will pay for the purchase through membership fees and other recreation revenues.

Find out what's happening in Yorkvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to documents the city’s monthly payment will be approximately $18,000 per month if the city moves forward with a $2.5 million purchase. The current lease is $19,000 per month. If purchased, the city will receive income from rental facilities in the building at $4,500 per month, and will not have to pay property taxes on the facility, which are currently $5,500 per month.

Based on current projections, city officials expect the REC Center to run a profit of between $1,000 and $3,000 per month.

Additional information on the city’s proposal can be found here.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?