The Chicago Park District unveiled a $393 million budget for 2009 that does not include a property tax increase but does impose new fees for parking by the district’s parks and beaches along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Additional parking fees could raise about $700,000 annually, according to the district. The budget also trims some services including a reduction in swimming hours at the district’s Lake Michigan beaches and swimming pools.
Unlike Chicago’s proposed 2009 budget, the district’s proposed spending plan does not include any layoffs, but about 135 open positions won’t be filled. The budget does require employees to take the same unpaid holidays on the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve that Mayor Richard Daley has proposed for the city.
