Besides offering limited coverage of what is going on in our local governments, the Herald-News refuses to provide honest, unbiased coverage. In addition, they reward reporters for hiding the news, by promoting them.
In January of 2006, I read a series of articles in a different Illinois newspaper about how schools were issuing more in bonds than had been authorized by the voters. I then contacted the Plainfield School District with regards to their $252 million referendum at that time, the structure of the bonds they were issuing, and if they were considering utilizing the loophole to issue more than what they were asking for in the referendum. I then e-mailed Andrea Hein at the Herald-News with copies of the original articles and the information that I was able to get from the Plainfield School District.
Andrea, thanked me, said she was already working on a similar story, and would get back to me shortly. She never wrote the "similar" story she was working on and never got back to me. I guess she and Herald-News did not think the potential of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent beyond what the public had voted on was not a big deal. It is more important to keep the politicians happy. The Herald-News rewarded her lack of concern for her job by promoting her from covering Lockport & Crest Hill to covering Joliet.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
City and County Finances
Have you ever seen the budget for your city, school district, or Will county? I am willing to guess that you have not, even if you have tried. I have tried and found local governments want to hide their financial documents and to deter anyone from seeing them. They want to keep collecting more and more in taxes, but never want to tell us how they actually spend OUR money.
I tried to see Crest Hill's budget several months ago and was treated to quite an adventure. I went to City Hall and asked to see a copy of the most recent city budget. I was told that the person who would have that had left early for the weekend and to come back on Monday. I agreed to return on Monday and left written information as to who I was and what I wanted to view. I returned the next week and the information still was not available. The following day I came in once again and this time the information was ready. However, I was handed a set of printouts that appeared to be a report of year to date expenses and revenues compared to the current budget. This document lacked any explanation and was far from being clear. I asked if there were any additional financial documents available and was told that they were not.
At this point, I sent a written request to the City Treasurer asking to view copies of the current budget as passed by the City Council, the most recent audit of the city, and the most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). I received no response. Two weeks later, I sent the same written request to the Mayor, City Clerk, and the alderpersons for the ward I live in. A week later, I got a call from the Mayor's office and was able to set up a time to view the CAFR.
This was an acceptable outcome for me because the CAFR was fairly recent and contained everything I wanted to see. However, it is amazing how much effort it took to see this document. I believe that the responsible thing to do would be to have copies of all reports, budgets, and other significant documents available at City Hall and the local library. I have yet to find a library that is not willing to add city documents to their reference collection. In fact, the Crest Hill library has planning documents from 40 years ago for Crest Hill, but very little from recent years.
I wish this was an isolated event that applied only to my request in Crest Hill. However, I have watched Alderman John Vershay ask the Crest Hill City Treasurer for a listing of the bills being paid at each council meeting. The treasurer however is behind by a number of weeks so he expects the council to approve paying the bills and not being told what they were for until a month or more later. And when confronted he has flatly refused to provide this information to an Alderman. No wonder he is so unresponsive to citizens. A year ago I had a similar experience with the Plainfield School District when I wanted information about their bond referendum to build additional schools. They only took 2 weeks and 3 written contacts to provide me the information I asked for.
One must really wonder why our local governments do not want to share financial information with the public. They have no problems taxing us, but they seem to have more difficulty telling us what they do with our money.
I tried to see Crest Hill's budget several months ago and was treated to quite an adventure. I went to City Hall and asked to see a copy of the most recent city budget. I was told that the person who would have that had left early for the weekend and to come back on Monday. I agreed to return on Monday and left written information as to who I was and what I wanted to view. I returned the next week and the information still was not available. The following day I came in once again and this time the information was ready. However, I was handed a set of printouts that appeared to be a report of year to date expenses and revenues compared to the current budget. This document lacked any explanation and was far from being clear. I asked if there were any additional financial documents available and was told that they were not.
At this point, I sent a written request to the City Treasurer asking to view copies of the current budget as passed by the City Council, the most recent audit of the city, and the most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). I received no response. Two weeks later, I sent the same written request to the Mayor, City Clerk, and the alderpersons for the ward I live in. A week later, I got a call from the Mayor's office and was able to set up a time to view the CAFR.
This was an acceptable outcome for me because the CAFR was fairly recent and contained everything I wanted to see. However, it is amazing how much effort it took to see this document. I believe that the responsible thing to do would be to have copies of all reports, budgets, and other significant documents available at City Hall and the local library. I have yet to find a library that is not willing to add city documents to their reference collection. In fact, the Crest Hill library has planning documents from 40 years ago for Crest Hill, but very little from recent years.
I wish this was an isolated event that applied only to my request in Crest Hill. However, I have watched Alderman John Vershay ask the Crest Hill City Treasurer for a listing of the bills being paid at each council meeting. The treasurer however is behind by a number of weeks so he expects the council to approve paying the bills and not being told what they were for until a month or more later. And when confronted he has flatly refused to provide this information to an Alderman. No wonder he is so unresponsive to citizens. A year ago I had a similar experience with the Plainfield School District when I wanted information about their bond referendum to build additional schools. They only took 2 weeks and 3 written contacts to provide me the information I asked for.
One must really wonder why our local governments do not want to share financial information with the public. They have no problems taxing us, but they seem to have more difficulty telling us what they do with our money.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Citizen Involvement
The City of Crest Hill has few opportunities for citizen involvement in government and has reduced those opportunities in recent months. There once were Road Improvements and Budget committees, but Mayor Churnovic has eliminated those. This is the wrong direction to be moving.
Mayor Churnovic used the excuse that now that there is a City Administrator in place, there is not a need for the committees. I do not understand why citizen involvement is being replaced by the City Administrator. I did not think that Crest Hill was getting rid of democracy, but that is what appears to be happening.
I certainly do not oppose the hiring of a City Administrator and was previously employed by a different city as their City Administrator. The city I worked for actually used the hiring of a City Administrator to facilitate more citizen involvement. Their logic was that a City Administrator could coordinate more meetings of committees and allow committees to be citizen run with far less involvement by City Council members. This increase in citizen involvement was an absolutely positive situation for the city.
City Council members cannot effectively control every aspect of city government, they simply do not have the time. It also is not a good idea to concentrate too much power in just a few people. Committees are an effective way to get more citizens involved in issues that they care about. An individual may not be very concerned about how the police department is run, but may be very concerned about the conditions of our streets; while another person wants to see improvements made in how the city budgets, but has no interest in zoning issues. Committees dealing with specific areas of city government would allow each of these people to be involved and contributing to improving the city.
The alternative to citizen involvement is to concentrate the power in the hands of a few elected officials and entrust the City Administrator to handle all matters that the Mayor or City Council do not have time for or the ability to handle. This seems to be anti-democratic though and a step in the wrong direction. I would like to see more committees, more discussion, and more citizen involvement.
Mayor Churnovic used the excuse that now that there is a City Administrator in place, there is not a need for the committees. I do not understand why citizen involvement is being replaced by the City Administrator. I did not think that Crest Hill was getting rid of democracy, but that is what appears to be happening.
I certainly do not oppose the hiring of a City Administrator and was previously employed by a different city as their City Administrator. The city I worked for actually used the hiring of a City Administrator to facilitate more citizen involvement. Their logic was that a City Administrator could coordinate more meetings of committees and allow committees to be citizen run with far less involvement by City Council members. This increase in citizen involvement was an absolutely positive situation for the city.
City Council members cannot effectively control every aspect of city government, they simply do not have the time. It also is not a good idea to concentrate too much power in just a few people. Committees are an effective way to get more citizens involved in issues that they care about. An individual may not be very concerned about how the police department is run, but may be very concerned about the conditions of our streets; while another person wants to see improvements made in how the city budgets, but has no interest in zoning issues. Committees dealing with specific areas of city government would allow each of these people to be involved and contributing to improving the city.
The alternative to citizen involvement is to concentrate the power in the hands of a few elected officials and entrust the City Administrator to handle all matters that the Mayor or City Council do not have time for or the ability to handle. This seems to be anti-democratic though and a step in the wrong direction. I would like to see more committees, more discussion, and more citizen involvement.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Electricity
This week the City of Crest Hill began considering purchasing their electricity from a co-op instead of from ComEd. This is a great way to save money now that ComEd's rate freeze has ended and the costs of electricity are on the way up due to the power auction scheme. It should be clarified that this is a proposal for the Crest Hill to buy the electricity for city facilities only. Those of us who live there will still have to keep buying from ComEd. I think the time has come to look to other options for all of us.
I spent two years managing a small municipal electric utility in Wisconsin. Our main role was as a distributor of electricity. We built and owned the power lines within the city. We contracted with a co-op to purchase wholesale power which we then sold to our customers. We did own and maintain generation facilities of our own, although we used them only in emergencies and during time of high demand when prices on the spot market soared. The utility was not in anyway subsidized by the city, had to comply with the same state and federal regulations as a private utility would, and paid a higher portion of its revenue in taxes than private utilities did.
The result was that our customers (residents of the city), paid less for electricity than those in surrounding cities that bought power from traditional power companies and far less than what I now pay to ComEd. In addition, the distribution system was locally controlled, so the decisions to replace lines, upgrade the system, and how to trim trees were local decisions that were publicly made and that anyone could speak to the board about. Due to our maintaining generation equipment, we not only could negotiate lower rates, but we could provide our own power when necessary. There were numerous times that ice storms would take out transmission lines outside the city cutting power to the whole region. The city would switch on our generators and have the lights back on within the hour, while surrounding areas were stuck waiting days for their power to return.
I know that it took a great amount of investment to build the system and know the obstacles that exist to creating a municipal utility where there is already an existing private utility. But, thanks to the legislation that ended the rate freeze here, we have an opportunity to create a different type of municipal utility with less capital cost. A utility no longer needs to own its distribution lines, it can exist solely to sell power over lines owned by others. A city could purchase wholesale power and then resell it. This would create an alternative to ComEd and would provide the competition that we need.
I believe that this would not be the ideal solution and would support a municipal utility acquiring some generation capacity of its own so as to be in a better negotiating position. And there would also be some non-financial benefits to acquiring the distribution system, but I think the cost of this would be too great. In addition, the distribution costs are much better regulated than power costs which are now market driven (by a rigged market).
I am split as to if it would be best for Crest Hill and other cities to each have their own municipal utility or if a combined utility would be better. I certainly think that individual cities are large enough to operate their own utilities and even to negotiate individual wholesale contracts. However, a combined utility could probably negotiate a better contract and be able to explore more options than an individual city could. A combined utility though would allow for less local control. My suggestion would be individual municipal utilities in each community, but a regional organization to combine forces in negotiating wholesale contracts.
While, I am often leery of additional government involvement in our lives and the expansion of government, I have seen how a municipal utility operates and am very impressed. I think that in this area, it could do even better than what I observed elsewhere and would provide actual competition to ComEd. I do believe though that any municipal utility should have to operate on a level position with private companies. This means no tax dollars for municipal utilities, separate finances from the city's finances, payment of all taxes and fees that a private company would pay, and open competition.
I spent two years managing a small municipal electric utility in Wisconsin. Our main role was as a distributor of electricity. We built and owned the power lines within the city. We contracted with a co-op to purchase wholesale power which we then sold to our customers. We did own and maintain generation facilities of our own, although we used them only in emergencies and during time of high demand when prices on the spot market soared. The utility was not in anyway subsidized by the city, had to comply with the same state and federal regulations as a private utility would, and paid a higher portion of its revenue in taxes than private utilities did.
The result was that our customers (residents of the city), paid less for electricity than those in surrounding cities that bought power from traditional power companies and far less than what I now pay to ComEd. In addition, the distribution system was locally controlled, so the decisions to replace lines, upgrade the system, and how to trim trees were local decisions that were publicly made and that anyone could speak to the board about. Due to our maintaining generation equipment, we not only could negotiate lower rates, but we could provide our own power when necessary. There were numerous times that ice storms would take out transmission lines outside the city cutting power to the whole region. The city would switch on our generators and have the lights back on within the hour, while surrounding areas were stuck waiting days for their power to return.
I know that it took a great amount of investment to build the system and know the obstacles that exist to creating a municipal utility where there is already an existing private utility. But, thanks to the legislation that ended the rate freeze here, we have an opportunity to create a different type of municipal utility with less capital cost. A utility no longer needs to own its distribution lines, it can exist solely to sell power over lines owned by others. A city could purchase wholesale power and then resell it. This would create an alternative to ComEd and would provide the competition that we need.
I believe that this would not be the ideal solution and would support a municipal utility acquiring some generation capacity of its own so as to be in a better negotiating position. And there would also be some non-financial benefits to acquiring the distribution system, but I think the cost of this would be too great. In addition, the distribution costs are much better regulated than power costs which are now market driven (by a rigged market).
I am split as to if it would be best for Crest Hill and other cities to each have their own municipal utility or if a combined utility would be better. I certainly think that individual cities are large enough to operate their own utilities and even to negotiate individual wholesale contracts. However, a combined utility could probably negotiate a better contract and be able to explore more options than an individual city could. A combined utility though would allow for less local control. My suggestion would be individual municipal utilities in each community, but a regional organization to combine forces in negotiating wholesale contracts.
While, I am often leery of additional government involvement in our lives and the expansion of government, I have seen how a municipal utility operates and am very impressed. I think that in this area, it could do even better than what I observed elsewhere and would provide actual competition to ComEd. I do believe though that any municipal utility should have to operate on a level position with private companies. This means no tax dollars for municipal utilities, separate finances from the city's finances, payment of all taxes and fees that a private company would pay, and open competition.
Rails to the Future
Transportation is a key issue in Crest Hill and Will County. From an economic and business perspective the expansion of rail transit is of greatest concern. Metra service to Joliet and surrounding communities is inferior to the service that is given to the northern and western suburbs. Having grown up in Arlington Heights, I saw first-hand the power of commuter trains to transform a community's core. Three trains each direction weekdays only on the Heritage Corridor is insufficient. The Rock Island line has a more comprehensive schedule, but Joliet is still under served.
The City of Joliet has not done its part to encourage downtown redevelopment that would compliment commuter rail. There are numerous old buildings that could be redeveloped into commercial uses on the first floor and residential above. This is by far a better use that having vacant old department stores and empty storefronts. Joliet has the building stock to retain its historic downtown flavor while developing a vibrant mixed-use area. The other key is to provide enough parking for additional Metra riders to be possible. This can only be accomplished with conveniently located parking garages. This will not be inexpensive, but will be necessary if we want to create a healthy downtown and see new residents moving into something other than cookie cutter developments on the far west side.
Of specific importance to Crest Hill is the STAR line. This would be a line tying Joliet and Crest Hill to the west of northwest suburbs. Such a connection would allow people to work in those area, but live in Will County. This might bring additional development pressures to this area, but it is the responsibility of cities to continue to grow responsibly. The value of alternative transportation would be great. It would be a boon to the communities along the line and would allow people greater choice in where they live without clogging our highways.
My final item on this topic is to encourage people to continue to push for expansion of Amtrak. I know it is a third world rail system that rarely runs on time and is used mostly by students, foreign travelers, and the Amish. However, rail should be used more frequently for mid-distance trips instead of flying. As more people use rail and more importance is placed on developing it, the level of service will improve. And if high speed technology is put into place any trip under 600 miles will be faster by rail than by air. This is because unlike the airport, when you ride the train you do not wait in long security lines, you do not have to arrive hours ahead of time, you can carry on all the luggage you physically are able to so checking baggage and claiming it at the other end are eliminated, and every train station I has been more easily accessible than even the smallest most laid back of airports. I could go on about the wonderful things I have seen from the windows of trains and the fascinating people I have met on board, but I feel the financial and practical sides of it are more important to this nation. In the mean time though, give Amtrak a shot, you might get to where you are going a couple hours late, but you can eat well, sleep well, and have some fun doing it. And maybe you will come away like me, dreaming of the day when you can zip across America at 200 mph on a conveniently scheduled train instead of flying.
The City of Joliet has not done its part to encourage downtown redevelopment that would compliment commuter rail. There are numerous old buildings that could be redeveloped into commercial uses on the first floor and residential above. This is by far a better use that having vacant old department stores and empty storefronts. Joliet has the building stock to retain its historic downtown flavor while developing a vibrant mixed-use area. The other key is to provide enough parking for additional Metra riders to be possible. This can only be accomplished with conveniently located parking garages. This will not be inexpensive, but will be necessary if we want to create a healthy downtown and see new residents moving into something other than cookie cutter developments on the far west side.
Of specific importance to Crest Hill is the STAR line. This would be a line tying Joliet and Crest Hill to the west of northwest suburbs. Such a connection would allow people to work in those area, but live in Will County. This might bring additional development pressures to this area, but it is the responsibility of cities to continue to grow responsibly. The value of alternative transportation would be great. It would be a boon to the communities along the line and would allow people greater choice in where they live without clogging our highways.
My final item on this topic is to encourage people to continue to push for expansion of Amtrak. I know it is a third world rail system that rarely runs on time and is used mostly by students, foreign travelers, and the Amish. However, rail should be used more frequently for mid-distance trips instead of flying. As more people use rail and more importance is placed on developing it, the level of service will improve. And if high speed technology is put into place any trip under 600 miles will be faster by rail than by air. This is because unlike the airport, when you ride the train you do not wait in long security lines, you do not have to arrive hours ahead of time, you can carry on all the luggage you physically are able to so checking baggage and claiming it at the other end are eliminated, and every train station I has been more easily accessible than even the smallest most laid back of airports. I could go on about the wonderful things I have seen from the windows of trains and the fascinating people I have met on board, but I feel the financial and practical sides of it are more important to this nation. In the mean time though, give Amtrak a shot, you might get to where you are going a couple hours late, but you can eat well, sleep well, and have some fun doing it. And maybe you will come away like me, dreaming of the day when you can zip across America at 200 mph on a conveniently scheduled train instead of flying.
Caton Farm Road Bridge
In the 1960's when the City of Crest Hill was incorporated, a Comprehensive Plan was completed to outline the future of this city. Many items in that plan have come to fruition and in many ways we have achieved far more than that plan had laid out. However, one important item in that plan has been allowed to sit uncompleted for over 40 years now. That item is the construction of a bridge across the Des Plaines River connecting Caton Farm Road in Crest Hill and Bruce Road in Lockport.
The need for this bridge has only grown over the years and is now an item that should be of utmost importance. When the Division Street bridge closed in the 1980's we lost a connection to the east and were forced to either go through Joliet or take the two lane high level bridge at Renwick. As growth came to Will county in the 1990's, the traffic became more than the Renwick bridge could handle and backups became a part of daily life for many people. And now in 2007, we are just months away from the opening of I-355 to our east. A bridge at Caton Farm Road along with the upgrading of Bruce Road and eventual interchange at Bruce and I-355 would do more to improve the City of Crest Hill than anything else that has been done or contemplated in the last 40 years.
The bridge would tie Crest Hill into the Lockport and New Lenox areas and allow more people to easily shop, work and live in our city regardless of which side of the river other aspects of their lives are. Also, the bridge would allow residents of Crest Hill to get to the I-355 extension much quicker and easier than is currently possible. This would increase the demand for homes in Crest Hill as we became a better option for those commuting to jobs in DuPage county and elsewhere to our north. This increased demand would lead to higher home values, thereby enriching our residents.
A bridge is also vital to the redevelopment of Broadway as well as increased business on Theodore. Currently this area is located several miles from either the Renwick or Ruby bridges, thus limiting the number of people passing through the area. However, a bridge at Caton Farm road would draw large numbers of people close to this area of the city. The Crest Hill end of the Renwick bridge offers no opportunities for development because the land has been set aside as open space. However, the south side of Caton Farm Road is currently privately owned and could be developed in any manner that best serves the city. In addition, IL-53 south of Caton Farm would have the potential to be commercially developed once the bridge increased the traffic levels in that area. A healthy business community along IL-53, instead of a decaying industrial area, would be quite an asset for Crest Hill.
Our elected officials are working on getting this bridge built, however I feel that there is need to push harder on the State and Federal governments to get this project moving. 40 years has been far too long to wait for a project that has the potential to transform Crest Hill for the better. Crest Hill has seen development occur along the Weber Road corridor and will continue to see development along that road. A Caton Farm bridge would create two additional healthy and attractive development corridors, Caton Farm Road and Broadway Street (IL-53). This bridge literally is the bridge to the future for Crest Hill.
The need for this bridge has only grown over the years and is now an item that should be of utmost importance. When the Division Street bridge closed in the 1980's we lost a connection to the east and were forced to either go through Joliet or take the two lane high level bridge at Renwick. As growth came to Will county in the 1990's, the traffic became more than the Renwick bridge could handle and backups became a part of daily life for many people. And now in 2007, we are just months away from the opening of I-355 to our east. A bridge at Caton Farm Road along with the upgrading of Bruce Road and eventual interchange at Bruce and I-355 would do more to improve the City of Crest Hill than anything else that has been done or contemplated in the last 40 years.
The bridge would tie Crest Hill into the Lockport and New Lenox areas and allow more people to easily shop, work and live in our city regardless of which side of the river other aspects of their lives are. Also, the bridge would allow residents of Crest Hill to get to the I-355 extension much quicker and easier than is currently possible. This would increase the demand for homes in Crest Hill as we became a better option for those commuting to jobs in DuPage county and elsewhere to our north. This increased demand would lead to higher home values, thereby enriching our residents.
A bridge is also vital to the redevelopment of Broadway as well as increased business on Theodore. Currently this area is located several miles from either the Renwick or Ruby bridges, thus limiting the number of people passing through the area. However, a bridge at Caton Farm road would draw large numbers of people close to this area of the city. The Crest Hill end of the Renwick bridge offers no opportunities for development because the land has been set aside as open space. However, the south side of Caton Farm Road is currently privately owned and could be developed in any manner that best serves the city. In addition, IL-53 south of Caton Farm would have the potential to be commercially developed once the bridge increased the traffic levels in that area. A healthy business community along IL-53, instead of a decaying industrial area, would be quite an asset for Crest Hill.
Our elected officials are working on getting this bridge built, however I feel that there is need to push harder on the State and Federal governments to get this project moving. 40 years has been far too long to wait for a project that has the potential to transform Crest Hill for the better. Crest Hill has seen development occur along the Weber Road corridor and will continue to see development along that road. A Caton Farm bridge would create two additional healthy and attractive development corridors, Caton Farm Road and Broadway Street (IL-53). This bridge literally is the bridge to the future for Crest Hill.
Equimax
Last night, the City Council had quite a contentious meeting regarding the resubdivision of the Equimax property. This is a very complex issue and unfortunately it extends beyond the specifics of this development.
The first key is that Crest Hill needs commercial development to keep its taxes low. We are in a great position for commercial development and further lowering our already low city property tax. I would urge the city though to realize this and work to attract top quality development as well as creating new opportunities and revitalizing existing areas. This is not to suggest though that Equimax should not be a commercial property, it absolutely should be.
Following ordinances and rules is another important part of the discussion. This means following the plan set forth and working under the conditions created by the City Code. This property was zoned and planned for commercial before the residents of Remington Lakes purchased their homes and that should not change. However, the plan did not include so many small lots that do not comply with the ordinances and certainly did not include a road leading into the rear of someone's home. I do not see why we cannot have commercial development without degrading the safety of our residents and the sanctity of our laws.
Another underlying issue is the resignation of Building Commissioner Ray Semplinski. This is an issue that the Mayor has worked hard to keep quiet. There is something suspicious though when Council members are not given a copy of the resignation and cannot get their questions answered. Mr. Semplinski was a long time employee of Crest Hill and served successfully for many years. There was not a problem until he stated recently that he believed that our ordinances should be enforced and followed. While, I did not support his filling two positions and being paid two salaries for as long as he was, I still feel he did a great job and the City could not have been better served.
I hope that a compromise on Equimax can soon be reached. It will not silence the underlying issues, but we certainly can and should move on the the next development. The underlying issues will continue to haunt us until they are resolved, but we should not hold up progress in the mean time. A successful compromise requires the following factors. The residents of Remington Lakes need to recognize and accept that commercial development is going to occur in their backyards and that they cannot dictate what type of businesses will be located there. Dean Tomich needs to offer a plat of subdivision that does not violate the city's ordinances and does not reduce the safety of residents or their property values. I feel that the residents of Remington Lakes are on the right page and will accept a properly designed subdivision and allow Mr. Tomich to fill it with whatever businesses he feels are best suited the area and are allowed by the Zoning Code. However, Mr. Tomich seems to be reading from an entirely different book and does not recognize that he is not following the ordinances. This needs to change if he is going to be successful with this development. I hope his desire to make money will prevail and he will do his part towards compromise.
The first key is that Crest Hill needs commercial development to keep its taxes low. We are in a great position for commercial development and further lowering our already low city property tax. I would urge the city though to realize this and work to attract top quality development as well as creating new opportunities and revitalizing existing areas. This is not to suggest though that Equimax should not be a commercial property, it absolutely should be.
Following ordinances and rules is another important part of the discussion. This means following the plan set forth and working under the conditions created by the City Code. This property was zoned and planned for commercial before the residents of Remington Lakes purchased their homes and that should not change. However, the plan did not include so many small lots that do not comply with the ordinances and certainly did not include a road leading into the rear of someone's home. I do not see why we cannot have commercial development without degrading the safety of our residents and the sanctity of our laws.
Another underlying issue is the resignation of Building Commissioner Ray Semplinski. This is an issue that the Mayor has worked hard to keep quiet. There is something suspicious though when Council members are not given a copy of the resignation and cannot get their questions answered. Mr. Semplinski was a long time employee of Crest Hill and served successfully for many years. There was not a problem until he stated recently that he believed that our ordinances should be enforced and followed. While, I did not support his filling two positions and being paid two salaries for as long as he was, I still feel he did a great job and the City could not have been better served.
I hope that a compromise on Equimax can soon be reached. It will not silence the underlying issues, but we certainly can and should move on the the next development. The underlying issues will continue to haunt us until they are resolved, but we should not hold up progress in the mean time. A successful compromise requires the following factors. The residents of Remington Lakes need to recognize and accept that commercial development is going to occur in their backyards and that they cannot dictate what type of businesses will be located there. Dean Tomich needs to offer a plat of subdivision that does not violate the city's ordinances and does not reduce the safety of residents or their property values. I feel that the residents of Remington Lakes are on the right page and will accept a properly designed subdivision and allow Mr. Tomich to fill it with whatever businesses he feels are best suited the area and are allowed by the Zoning Code. However, Mr. Tomich seems to be reading from an entirely different book and does not recognize that he is not following the ordinances. This needs to change if he is going to be successful with this development. I hope his desire to make money will prevail and he will do his part towards compromise.
Introduction
Welcome to my blog. I am Nicholas Onyszczak and am a resident of the 3rd Ward of the City of Crest Hill, Illinois. I am aiming this blog at fellow residents of Crest Hill and surrounding communities, so I do not plan to go into basic background information on the community, however if you are not familiar with it please feel free to e-mail me at onyszczak@gmail.com
A little more about me.... I am running for alderman in the 3rd Ward as a write-in candidate. I would be running on the ballot except that one of the incumbents was afraid of democracy and had the citizens of her ward ignored and my name removed from the ballot. I am a former City Administrator of a different community, but now work in the private sector and look to public service as a civic duty instead of a career. However, I still bring with me a strong background in city management.
I plan to use this as a forum for addressing current and upcoming city issues. Regardless of the outcome of the election on April 17th, I will still be here. There are many issues in Crest Hill that need discussion and there is a strong need for PUBLIC discussion, so I hope that I can help to provide that.
A little more about me.... I am running for alderman in the 3rd Ward as a write-in candidate. I would be running on the ballot except that one of the incumbents was afraid of democracy and had the citizens of her ward ignored and my name removed from the ballot. I am a former City Administrator of a different community, but now work in the private sector and look to public service as a civic duty instead of a career. However, I still bring with me a strong background in city management.
I plan to use this as a forum for addressing current and upcoming city issues. Regardless of the outcome of the election on April 17th, I will still be here. There are many issues in Crest Hill that need discussion and there is a strong need for PUBLIC discussion, so I hope that I can help to provide that.
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