The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Board of Commissioners has unanimously approved a $126.7 million budget, excluding transfers, for 2025. The budget, funded primarily by less than 2% of a DuPage County homeowner’s property taxes, will support daily operations, capital improvements, and strategic initiatives to enhance the District’s facilities and services.

A homeowner whose property has a fair market value of $308,500 is estimated to pay approximately $145 annually to the District, which maintains 26,000 acres of land, 60 forest preserves, 600 acres of lakes, and 175 miles of trails. 

Earlier this month the board also approved the annual tax levy, which historically accounts for over two-thirds of the District’s annual revenue. The total estimated levy to be extended, $68.4 million, will cover a portion of the District’s operational and capital expenses. Additionally, the Forest Preserve District restructured existing debt and approved the issuance of $85 million in bonds to fund long-term capital expenditures.  

“The 2025 budget focuses on supporting daily operations and investing in much-needed capital improvements,” said District executive director Karie Friling. “Our team has once again crafted a fiscally responsible budget within the board of commissioners’ guidelines, supporting key master plan initiatives while ensuring the continued delivery of outstanding recreational and nature-education programs,” Friling said.  

The 2025 budget will support a variety of projects aimed at enhancing recreation, improving infrastructure, restoring habitats, and advancing sustainability efforts across DuPage County’s forest preserves.

• Construction of a new Natural Resources and Grounds campus in West Chicago

• Land acquisition

• Completion of the new state-of-the-art, net-zero-designed DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn

• Recreational accessibility improvements across the District

• Infrastructure upgrades, including trails, roads, and parking lots at

Greene Valley Forest Preserve (Naperville)

Blackwell Forest Preserve (Warrenville)

Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve (Wayne)

Salt Creek Marsh Forest Preserve (Itasca) 

• Interior restoration work at Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook

• Course updates and ecological restoration at Maple Meadows Golf Preserve in Wood Dale

• Habitat-restoration projects at

Egermann Woods (Lisle)

Fischer Woods (Bensenville)

Herrick Lake (Wheaton)

West DuPage Woods (West Chicago)

Hickory Grove (Lisle)

• Preserve master planning

• Expansion of green-energy and sustainability initiatives

“This budget represents an exciting opportunity to deliver on the promises we’ve made to our community,” said Daniel Hebreard, the Forest Preserve District president. “Thanks to the taxpayers’ overwhelming support of the referendum, we can advance key projects that enhance our preserves, improve recreational access, and protect vital natural areas for generations to come. I’m thrilled about the work ahead and grateful for the trust our residents have placed in us to make these investments a reality.”

For more information about the Forest Preserve District’s annual budgets and financial reports, visit dupageforest.org and click on “About Us” and “Transparency Portal.”