Crest Hill 2010

City Looks to Borrow $24,000,000

2010-09-18T18:31:00.000-06:00

In the midst of a recession, the City of Crest Hill is looking to borrow $24 million. The purpose for this is to rebuild the east sewer treatment plant. This is a huge amount of new debt for our water and sewer system to be taking on, especially since it is for re-building an existing treatment plant and not for system expansion. And it is of great concern that the Mayor is not releasing information on how borrowing all of this money will affect our water and sewer rates.

The city has posted notice that they want to issue $24 million in revenue bonds, which means that the bonds would be paid out of the revenues of the water and sewer system and would have no impact on taxes. However, the city has posted notice that they are also seeking to issue alternate bonds that would be general obligation bonds. This means that if the sewer system did not raise enough money to make payments, the city taxpayers would be on the hook for paying the money back. This is a concern because if only the revenues of the sewer system can be used then the users pay in proportion to how much they use, if general obligation bonds are used then taxpayers could be forced to pay it back based on property value and not on what they use. The real reason why this is a problem is that our largest user pays no taxes. Stateville is our largest user, but pays no taxes. This would only be a problem if revenues are not sufficient to cover the bonds, but is still worth remembering. One way to think of it is that a revenue bond is a loan to a business that may have to raise what they charge you so they can pay off the loan. Sure your price goes up, but we each can decide how much you want to buy. A general obligation bond is a mortgage taken out on all of our homes.

We also should all be asking why the city has not set aside money for the eventual replacement of their sewer treatment plant. They should have been setting aside funds for depreciation all of these years. Where are those funds? Why was a proper amount not set aside? How much more are we going to have to borrow in the future when the city fails to set aside funds for future maintenance and replacements?

The biggest question most people will have is how will this loan affect our water and sewer rates? At a previous work session this was discussed and it has been thought that an increase may not be needed since the city recently raised rates beyond the rate of inflation. This is just a tentative answer since the financial analysis for the past fiscal year is not yet available. Previously a large increase was going to be needed based on previous analysis. The city should not be moving forward until this question can be answered with certainty and not just guessed at with hopefulness.

I urge every resident of Crest Hill to show up at City Hall on Monday, September 20th, at 7pm for the public hearing on borrowing this money. We need to find out why the city is mortgaging our homes to pay for work they failed to save for. We need to find out why they want to borrow before they know how much more they will need to ask us for, instead of just hoping our rates are high enough. The City Council has refused to reach out to the voters to approve this loan, so we need to at least make our voices heard.

New Library Location Proposed

2010-07-19T21:16:00.000-06:00

At the July 12th City Council work session the location for the new Crest Hill branch of the Des Plaines Valley Public Library was announced. The library board is preparing to buy a parcel of land just north of the Menards along Kubinski Dr. several hundred feet east of Weber Rd. The library is looking to buy this land as soon as zoning issues can be resolved and then hope to begin construction so that the new library opens in May or June of 2012.

This proposed location has a number of weaknesses and does not appear to be the best site for the new library. At a minimum a number of issues need to be addressed before the land is rezoned by the city and purchased by the taxpayers of the library district.

The City of Crest Hill zoning code currently allows for libraries only in areas zoned as residential, there is no provision for a library to be built in the middle of a commercial development. This may simply be a relic of the good old days when no one conceived of a library anywhere besides a residential area. Or it may be based on some good principles of having a community facility such as a library easily accessible to our citizens and for it to be possible for school children to get to the library without needing to take a car ride.

The library is also looking at a location that is currently planned for commercial development within a major commercial corridor. This is a property that is meant to generate both property and sales taxes for the city in amounts greater than most other areas of the city. The library however will generate zero tax dollars for Crest Hill and will cost the city the opportunity to get a revenue generating business into the location.

The third problem is that the library has no plans for the building that it is vacating on Theodore Street. The City does not need another vacant building along Theodore. And the library will be a very difficult building to reuse due to the fact that it is not handicap accessible with many steps to the entrance, has not been well maintained, and has very limited parking.

I think all of these issues need to be addressed and can be addressed before the library project moves forward. The Plan Commission and City Council need to make sure an eager to build library and a cash starved developer do not steam-roll them into ignoring what is best for Crest Hill.

The biggest drawback to being placed in the middle of a commercial development is the lack of non-vehicular accessibility. Weber Rd. and Caton Farm Rd. have no sidewalks near this development and there are no sidewalks within the development. Before the zoning code is changed to allow the library to be built here this accessibility issue must be solved. While I think a library belongs near a residential area, the next best thing is to at least create access to residential areas. The city needs to require the developer or the library to extend sidewalks or walking/bike paths from the library site to the nearest residential developments in each direction.

The loss of tax revenue from this prime commercial property can be addressed through a Payment in Lieu of Taxes being made by the library. The lost property taxes at a minimum should be recovered for all of the taxing entities losing out due to the loss of the ability to attract a taxpaying entity to this prime development. The sales tax loss can probably be assumed to be covered by the library being an attraction that makes people somewhat more likely to shop at nearby stores. This affect may not even cover the sales tax loss, but it could be a compromise gesture to take sales tax off the table of the library or developer will cover the property tax loss or at least a portion of it due to this being higher than usual value property.

The library can address the Theodore St. property by making some guarantees as to its future status. They could possibly guarantee that it will be sold to a user who will occupy it within 12-24 months of the closing of the old library. And that if this is not able to be done because the property is no marketable with the current building, the library will remove the building and regrade the lot to make it more marketable at its own cost and deed it to the city at that time.

All of these options taken together represent a large cost that would be imposed upon the library, however they have brought most of these costs upon themselves by selecting an unconventional site. We should not let them either impose these costs solely upon Crest Hill either directly or indirectly through the loss of an accessible library, tax revenues, and the addition of a vacant hard to utilize building. There is nothing wrong with negotiating to share these costs between the City, the Library, and the developer. A solution that shares the benefits and the costs is appropriate. It is now up to the Crest Hill Plan Commission and City Council to do the right thing and protect the best interests of their citizens.

Higher Taxes Coming to Crest Hill

2010-07-08T06:30:00.000-06:00

At the last work session concerning the City budget at the end of June, the budget as it stood after all the adjustments made during the weeks of hearings was presented. Mayor Soliman then followed with questions of the council members regarding their opinions on various budget issues. The final budget was approximately $300,000 in deficit even after every fix was made.

The Mayor kicked off the questions by asking each Council member individually if they would support increasing the utility tax on electricity and natural gas or the sales tax. The City Administrator and the Mayor discussed the rates in surrounding communities to justify that Crest Hill is below average in taxes and should catch up. The majority of Council members supported doubling the utility tax to bring in a little of $100,000 of additional revenue annually. This will be enacted in the near future since the Mayor got the support he needed to raise it. The Council was also open to raising the sales tax, but recognized that it would be years before any additional revenue would be seen, since the tax would need to be approved by the voters and they would need to do a long educational campaign before there would be any chance of getting it passed at referendum.

The Mayor then asked each member if they were comfortable with the budget being in deficit as it stood. A number were comfortable with it either because they felt that it was the best that could be done under the current circumstances, felt that a great effort had been made and it was much better than it could have been, or recognized that a large part of the deficit is due to one time costs due to switching insurance. Others were uncomfortable with it, but were challenged by the Mayor and council members who pointed out that there had already been weeks of discussion and that a budget had to get passed. There seemed to be an attitude of this is the best that we could come up with so everyone should be comfortable with it.

The final question each alderman was asked was if they had any ideas to fix the budget. A number of members advocated tightening on small expenses such as costs of conferences, the purchasing coffee and disposable cups for City Hall, and the Mayor's gas and petty cash expenditures. These items would not make a huge dent in the budget, but were looked at as every penny counts and making sure the Council was feeling some of the pain as well as the city staff. Alderman Sternisha spoke on some of the suggestions he has made to the Council early on in the hearings regarding freezing salaries and not hiring more employees, but he did not have the whole list because the Council had not been expecting this line of questioning at this particular budget hearing. Alderman Convery for some reason decided to attack Sternihsa's suggestion of not hiring more employees and kept asking him to be specific as to who not to hire. Convery did not seem to grasp the idea that not hiring any additional employees did not mean to firing recently hired employees, but instead meant that from that point forward not hiring any more. The Treasurer also spoke on some of his ideas for furlough days for city employees and creating an annual business license as opposed to the current license that is good forever. He was pointing out that Menard's paid $25 for a business license that is good forever, while many households pay more than that each year just to get city vehicle stickers. The City Clerk got quite upset at this since her office would have to issue the permits and she had not been consulted.

The Mayor gave everyone an insight into his thinking just in the order of the questions and how he presented them. His first thought was to raise taxes, then to gauge comfort with being in deficit, and lastly to looking for other solutions. This city needs leadership who put finding solutions and alternatives first and put raising taxes as last resort. Unfortunately, Mayor Soliman looks to our pocketbooks first and makes it clear that higher taxes come before all else.

Looking to the Future

2010-06-24T21:17:00.001-06:00

The Crest Hill City Council has still not balanced the current budget, however that has not stopped them from committing to spending money out of future budgets. They apparently feel that it is better to try to bust future budgets instead of fixing the current one.

This is topped off by the fact that the expenditure was for landscaping the medians at the intersection of Weber and Renwick roads at at cost of $20,000 - 30,000. Both of these are county roads, but the county has the sense not to pay such a high cost for landscaping in the middle of a roadway. Romeoville is paying a similar amount to landscape their half of the intersection though and a number of Crest Hill officials did not want our half to not match theirs. So the taxpayers will be stuck paying to keep up with our neighboring community and rejecting the county's offer to pave the median like they have elsewhere around the county.

The only council member to question this expenditure was Alderman Sternisha, who was quickly shot down by another alderman who saw no problem spending future year's money since it did not impact the budget they were currently looking at. Alderman Convery also brought up the need to beautify this gateway to the city. However, if we are looking to beautify I can think of many other places to do work at a lower cost. For example, a number of commercial property owners in this city have decided that mowing is unnecessary. It would cost the city far less to enforce its weed ordinance and would go a long way to make our commercial properties attractive to developers and businesses.

If we really want to make this an attractive community; lets balance our budget, have property owners along our main thoroughfares clean up their properties, look for less expensive ways to enhance all of our entrances, and not commit future funds unless future revenue sources have been identified.

I am all for planning for tomorrow, but those plans should not be how to create future deficits to add to the one we are currently facing.

Crest Hill Budget Hearings Update

2010-06-02T21:36:00.000-06:00

The budget hearings these past two nights have been pretty routine, with the tough discussions being put on hold until Tuesday, June 8th. So far most of the presentations have focused on numbers that are being held pretty close to last year's budget with only a few notable exceptions. The real excitement was at the end of Wednesday night's meeting as the Mayor brought up issues related to the city website.

The only two areas of the budget to see large increases have been Health and Life Insurance Costs and Legal Fees. The insurance costs are understandable in this environment, however there has been virtually no discussion related to these significant cost increases or ways to address and manage them. The increase in legal fees in related to the upcoming contract negotiations with the various city unions. The city is expecting these negotiations to be potentially costly.

The lack of any increases in salaries and wages in most departments is also of note. It is not yet clear if they city is actually expecting to freeze all salaries and wages for the coming year or if this is just a starting point. Whenever these matters come up during the hearings, the Council has been asked to save the discussion until Tuesday, June 8th. It would seem that this is going to be a major issue since the budget is almost a half million dollars in a deficit with these items frozen, so any increases would only worsen the problem. It appears that the only department with an increase in wages or salaries budgeted is Economic Development.

The first two hearings were very informative, however I was the only person in the audience both nights. I would strongly encourage others to show up, especially as the hearings move into the Council having to make hard choices and further discuss how to resolve our financial situation. The City Administrator has been very gracious to provide me with a copy of the budget to follow along with the presentations, so this year's hearings have been much easier to understand than in previous years. Also, the Mayor has a history of asking for opinions and thoughts from the audience. So if you would like the chance to possibly be heard or to at least better understand the City's finances, come at 7 PM on Tuesday, June 8th to City Hall.

While the budget itself may not always be the most interesting topic, the Council has been having updates and discussion on other matters as well at the end of each meeting. These discussions have been quite heated and show the divide between the Mayor, Council members, and other elected officials. While the topics may not be of the greatest importance, it is a valuable opportunity to see how the Council works together and how they act when not on camera.

City Treasurer Delays Protecting City Money

2010-04-28T06:43:00.000-06:00

At Monday night's work session of the Crest Hill City Council, the city's bond counsel and another financial advisor presented an analysis of the city's finances and recommendations of actions to be taken or considered. Most of the presentation was focused on issuing bonds to pay for upgrades to the sanitary sewer system, but some general issues were also addressed. One recommendation was that the city needs an investment policy that requires all deposits in excess of FDIC insurance to be fully collateralized with either US Treasury or US Agency securities, that those securities be held by a third party, and that the value of those securities be marked to market monthly to determine actual value. This is to ensure that the city's money is backed by good securities, that those securities have not been pledged to other depositors as has been done by some banks, and to ensure that the value of those securities has not dropped below the amount being collateralized.

City Treasurer, Joe Bobikiewicz, responded that the auditors made the same recommendation back in September of 2009 and he has been working on it with the City Attorney. When pressed as to when a policy would be ready, he responded that it would be a few months, but that he would poke the Attorney at the next council meeting and let him know to get working on it again. He stated that he plans to have it in place before the next audit so that the City does not get dinged again.

This is a shocking and dangerous attitude that he is taking. He refuses to make protecting the city's money a priority. Instead of waiting for the next meeting, he should pick up a phone and call the City Attorney. In fact, he should have taken care of this at least 7 months ago when the issue was raised by the city's auditors. He was even aware of this issue before then since I had brought questions regarding the collateralization of city deposits to his attention in March of 2009.

This is not a policy to be put on the back burner, this is not something that can wait, this is something that needs to be done now and implemented now. This is not about the Treasurer not getting dinged on an audit. This is about one day finding out that the city has millions of dollars of deposits that were improperly collateralized with toxic assets, bonds pledged to multiple cities, or long term securities that have to be sold at below face value in order to access our money. These are real threats and we need to demand that the City and the City Treasurer better protect our money.

Quality and Cost of Police Improvements

2009-10-24T10:31:00.001-06:00

At the October 19 City Council meeting there was quite a bit of discussion of the quality and cost of our police department during the public comments portion of the meeting. It began with a citizen questioning the need for two Deputy Chiefs in Crest Hill when Joliet manages a much larger police force with only one. While the resident definitely presented himself poorly through his combative attitude, his point was a valid one that deserved a better response. The following citizens who addressed Council spoke well of the quality of the police force. Alderman Oberlin and Mayor Soliman used these examples to show that the police department is headed in the right direction. However this is not the right way to determine if the right moves are being made to improve the police force. Quality and cost must be looked at together.

Too often we look at public services and desire only the best and do not care what it costs because we each only pay a small share of the cost. There is also the other side that looks only at costs regardless of quality because they do not want to spend another cent on taxes. In our personal lives we do not act these ways, we find a balance between cost and quality. We seek the best value. Sure the BMW would be a better quality car and a used Datsun would mean spending a lot less, but most of us find something in between that will not bankrupt us but will get us where we are going reliably. Why can our elected officials and citizens not have this view more often?

A good example of this is the promotion of two Deputy Chiefs. City officials pointed out that these were not new employees, but two Lieutenants who were promoted and that their old positions were vacated. Of course, they were given pay raises because they were promoted. What was not addressed was why they needed to be promoted. What do they do that they could not do as Lieutenants? What special abilities and skills did they gain the day that they were promoted that they did not have the day before? Are they actually worth a cent more than they were previously? These two officers are better off with new titles and larger paychecks, but how are the citizens of Crest Hill any better off than if we had given them new duties without new titles and raises?

The Mayor and City Council owe the citizens an explanation of the costs and results they are aiming for as they improve the police department. How much are we planning to spend each of the next 5 years with raises, promotions, and new hires? This extra cost will translate into how many additional hours of patrol time? How many additional school visits? What our our goals for response times? What are our goals as far as crime rate reductions and successful investigations? What are the results if the Chief and his officers do not meet these standards if and when our Council takes the responsibility to set them? Do we just keep giving raises and continuing to employ them regardless of quality or do we make their employment and raises contingent on results?

If you want to see a higher quality police department without breaking the bank, you need to control costs. The best way to control costs is to make sure that each dollar gets the best value. It is not about spending as few dollars as possible, but spending each dollar as wisely as possible. A City Council that spends wisely will get far better results than one that either spends lavishly for quality or cuts to the bone to limit taxes.

Efforts to Save Stateville

2009-07-21T12:36:00.001-06:00

The City Council is paving the way for the closing of Stateville. Their resolution last night might as well have been a white flag of surrender. They said how the closing will hurt Crest Hill, they talked about broken agreements, and asked for everyone to support keeping the prison. They did not however make a case for how the State benefits from keeping Stateville open and they did not make any move to enforce their past agreements.

I spent a year going toe-to-toe with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections over a prison several years ago and have spoken with other cities that have fought for prisons in various states, so I have some knowledge of what works and what does not. In the end the State does not care if the jobs are in Crest Hill or some town somewhere else, they do not care if a few hundred local people write them letters, or if inmates are a bit more overcrowded. They do care about how much it costs them to run a prison. The city needs to dive into the numbers to make their case. They need to prove that it makes financial sense to keep Stateville open and if that case cannot be made then they need to show what can be changed to make it possible.
A financial strategy focused on the State's pocketbook has been a part of every similar long term victory when a city fights a State Department of Corrections.

The other keys are to make the case visible State-wide and to enforce contracts. If they agreed to buy a certain amount of water and have a certain amount of sewerage, then hold them to that regardless of actual use. Let them pay for an empty prison if that is what they want. And if we cannot convince residents of all areas of Illinois why Stateville needs to remain open, we stand no chance of convincing the Governor and State Legislature.

The best the city can hope for with their current strategy is to keep Stateville off the chopping block until the next budget and then fight this battle again, eventually losing. If we are serious about wanting to keep Stateville open then it is time to make a serious effort.

Soliman Looks to Appoint Wilkerson as Chief

2009-05-12T21:15:00.005-06:00

In tonight's City Council work session, Mayor Soliman announced his intention to appoint Dwayne Wilkerson as Police Chief. Mayor Soliman listed among his reasons, the excellent job Acting Chief Wilkerson has done over the past year, his desire to promote from within when possible, and the years of service that Acting Chief Wilkerson has already given to the city. The City Attorney is reviewing a proposed employment contract, the City Council will be given a chance to speak further with Acting Chief Wilkerson, and the appointment will be on the June 15th agenda.

This appointment will allow the city's police department to continue to function under a proven leader. It will also finally end the long vacancy that has existed in the office of Chief of Police. Mayor Soliman also expressed his belief that by appointing someone already in the department the message is being sent that any officer can work hard and be promoted within this city. This is a valuable message and will help to build morale and hopefully also attract officers who are looking for stability and a career in Crest Hill. Mayor Soliman also spoke of the difficulties that have been faced by communities bringing in outsiders who often have trouble dealing with the culture of a department with which they are not familiar.

New Beginnings

2009-05-12T20:57:00.002-06:00

Crest Hill bills itself as the "City of New Beginnings" and tonight the City Council did its best to live up to that slogan. The work session held tonight was long and contained a great deal discussion, as well as friendly ribbing. The Council used it as a chance to discuss both immediate changes that are part of the new administration as well as longer range ideas. It was a meeting that really looked at what the city is facing and tried to address those issues as well as continue to set a tone for how things will operate from now on.

The change in the feel of the meeting was what most stood out to me. All Council members voiced their thoughts without attacking each other or taking sides. In fact at times it was hard to figure out exactly where people stood on issues. That is healthy though because it was a result of their asking questions and putting forth ideas of future consideration. I am happy to see Council members not making up their minds at work sessions. Where Mayor Soliman turned to myself and the other citizen in the audience and asked our opinions, I must admit I was absolutely shocked. Few mayors would take such a step, but it definitely showed Mayor Soliman's commitment to inclusiveness. I do not know if he will be able to do this every time, but hopefully it is a practice that will continue at least of issues of particular importance.

The issues discussed were of great importance tonight and deserve to be addressed in depth individually. Some of the items of discussion were a possible sales tax increase, appointment of a Police Chief, other mayoral appointments, city signs, City Hall modifications, and the long range plans for Public Works and City Hall.

A New Day in Crest Hill

2009-04-07T21:34:00.004-06:00

The voters of Crest Hill have spoken today and have made it clear that the era of unethical and scandalous government is over. Mayor Churnovic was defeated in his bid for re-election and the City Council candidates he supported and funded were defeated as well. This is a good day for Crest Hill. Four years ago many people were happy to see change, but few realized that change was not always for the better. Today though we have seen real change and that change is for the better.

Our city will be led by a Ray Soliman, a man who has spent years pushing for open government and calling on the city to follow the proper procedures. I feel strongly that Mayor Soliman will lead the city with a strong sense of ethics and care for citizens. I am sure I will disagree with some of his decisions and positions, but I look forward to having a Mayor who will treat all citizens with fairness.

Aldermen Dyke, Lelis, and Convery were re-elected. Lelis and Convery have been very outspoken on pushing for city government to be more responsive and for the Council and Mayor to work together to improve Crest Hill. They have also both been very strong advocates for the interests of their wards. Alderman Dyke is a very level-headed and practical member of the Council. He did not take on the corruption of the past four years head on, but he has always conducted himself independently of the disputes among other members of the Council. These three aldermen will serve the city well for the next four years.

The third ward, where I live, elected a new alderman, Neal Sternisha. I have had the chance to get to know Neal and talk with him on many occasions and look forward to having him as my alderman and also look forward to what he will bring to the Council as a whole. In particular his professional background in the water and wastewater fields is of particular value to a city facing massive capital outlays to improve our own systems in those areas. In addition, he is someone who has spoken out for the need for more ethical government in Crest Hill and stood up to a brutal campaign financed by Nick Churnovic.

This is truly a bright new day in Crest Hill. I hope that all of those who won election tonight remember that it was the desire of the people of Crest Hill for a more ethical and open government that got them elected. I will be looking forward to seeing a better government, but also will be looking to see Crest Hill move forward and continue to develop to its full potential.

Police Looking to Install GPS Tracking

2009-02-21T07:50:00.002-06:00

At this past City Council meeting, Chief Wilkerson requested funds to install GPS trackers in the squad cars and spoke about Canadian National installing them on their trains as well. The purpose would be so that the dispatchers could see the locations of all the squad cars when sending officers out to respond to incidents. Also they would be able to know if a train was blocking on of the at-grade crossings or would be by the time a squad car needed to get through. This would allow them to let the officers know if they needed to take an alternative route. This is a great use of technology and helps to offset effects of additional trains. There is also the benefit of knowing where officers are if they need assistance, but cannot radio their location to the dispatcher.

There are other uses for this technology though that the police department may not be as excited about. This technology could create a record of where the officers have patrolled on each shift, including how long they spent at City Hall, sitting in parking lots talking to each other, and other less productive activities. It could also be used to see where they actually patrol and determine if they are where they are most needed as well as if they are neglecting some areas. This would be a valuable tool for the Chief and any supervisors in the department to use, but I can imagine that the officers would not like that sort of scrutiny and oversight. Although based on some of the stories I have heard about the department, it might be warranted.

I would be concerned about the liability issues it could raise though. I envision lawyers walking into court and now having evidence that no officers had patrolled an area all night despite known problems in that area. Or were all sitting at city hall and were slow to respond to a call across town. I am not saying that such arguments might not be justified, I am just concerned about the potential liability this city would have if practices were not improved. Hopefully, this technology can be put to good use to improve our current practices and actually become more effective than would have otherwise been possible. Then the liability issues would be of far less concern and we would all benefit from better policing.

City Awards Garbage Contract Without Bids

2009-02-18T20:34:00.004-06:00

Last night the City Council voted to award a five year contract to Allied Waste for garbage, recycling and yard waste collection. Bids from other companies were not sought before this contract for in excess of $5,000,000 was awarded. I have written previously regarding why bidding makes good fiscal sense and is the financially responsible thing to do (http://cresthill-illinois.blogspot.com/2008/12/trashing-principles-of-good-government.html). I have also written about the Committee to Re-Elect the Mayor accepting a large donation from Allied Waste and the ethical issues that poses (http://cresthill-illinois.blogspot.com/2008/12/mayoral-ethics-part-ii.html).

Not only did Alderpersons Vershay, Oberlin, Brandolino, Dyke, and Inman vote as if they believed that bidding had no sound purpose and that there was nothing wrong with those seeking city contracts giving political contributions; they actually voiced such opinions. It was shocking to hear such statements expressed by those who have been entrusted by the public to act in the best interest of the city and its citizens.

Alderwoman Oberlin stated that to go out to bid would be like gambling that we have no way of knowing that we would get a better price by doing so. She also stated that it would be irresponsible to gamble like that. In fact, we would not be gambling as we know the outcomes so long as we can assume that Allied Waste is run by rational people seeking to make a profit. We would get a price at least as good if not better by going out to bid because the addition of competition would drive prices down. My previous post goes into this in greater detail. The truth though is that there is nothing irresponsible about going out to bid, there is in fact something very irresponsible about not seeking the lowest cost for the citizens of Crest Hill.

Alderman Inman commented that there was no connection between the Mayor, the contributions by Allied Waste to his campaign, and this contract. Well, the connection between the Mayor and the contributions is clear and direct. It is also apparent that the Mayor spoke in work sessions supporting awarding the contract without bidding. He also worked to negotiate this contract. Alderman Inman may think that because the fuel surcharge was negotiated out, the Mayor did a good job and the city got a great deal. Well, the truth is that in any negotiation the terms are on the table and to have negotiated out of new language that few other cities have ever agreed to is not a huge victory. And even if t had been an amazing negotiation, considering only one company to the exclusion of all others is irresponsible.

Two of the men running for Mayor spoke up in opposition to awarding this large contract without going out for bid and should be commended for their efforts. Alderman Soliman spoke to the point that I believe is central which is that any price given in these negotiations should be able to have submitted as a bid, if not an even lower price. Mr. Semplinski brought up the very insightful point that if Allied Waste can afford to hold the price for the next year the same as it was this year, they must have been able to make a pretty good profit this year and probably had more room to offer a lower price. I wish the incumbent Mayor had the wisdom to put forth such good thoughts and to encourage those who follow his lead to have done the right thing.

TIF District Follow-Up

2009-01-26T23:18:00.002-06:00

The work session tonight did not shed much additional light on the proposed TIF district. The Mayor introduced the idea of TIF districts by saying that he has seen them used by surrounding communities and that there are consultants who are willing to meet with the city without charge to discuss the matter. No indication was given of what areas were being considered for inclusion in a TIF district. A work session is planned for next month when consultants will come and discuss TIF districts in greater detail. The superintendents of both elementary school districts were invited to tonight's meeting and have asked to continue to be involved in all discussions. This is an important step since TIF districts can have significant impacts upon the schools. One citizen stood up to voice his opposition to TIF districts that are used improperly because of the tax impacts that they can have on the rest of the city. This was a very healthy start to the discussions of a TIF district even if no specifics were offered. I hope that the Council keeps the schools as well as the citizens involved and do not just listen to the consultants who have a financial interest in creating TIF districts. As more information becomes available, I will share it as well as giving my analysis of any proposals.

TIF District Under Consideration

2009-01-25T22:14:00.005-06:00

The City Council will be discussing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts at tonight's work session. TIF districts are a tool that has been used by cities to promote economic development of depressed areas. Such districts are not without controversy though because the benefits they provide come at a cost to other areas and taxing bodies.

A TIF district is a defined area encompassing all the properties within the boundaries that are created for it. The amount of property taxes received by each of the taxing bodies is frozen for 23 years. Over those years as the property values increase, the taxes paid also increase; but the increased amount is paid to the city and goes to a designated TIF fund. That increased amount is the tax increment. This money is then used to pay for improvements within the TIF district that are meant to attract new development to the TIF district. These improvements can be anything from streetscaping to parking garages to even providing incentives directly to businesses. The funds are not supposed to pay for ordinary operating expenses such as filling potholes, plowing streets, or providing police protection. The area encompassed within a TIF district are meant to be properties that are currently blighted and are not reasonably expected to be able to be improved otherwise.

Many cities have used TIF districts to create new economic development and have seen them as very useful tools. They feel that without the TIF districts redevelopment of blighted areas would not have been possible. TIF districts are able to provide large amounts of money for redevelopment especially in cases where the improvements are put in early on using borrowed money and then paid back over the 23 years as the increased tax increment dollars are collected. This of course exposes the city to the risk that the increase is not sufficient to pay back the debt.

TIF districts are opposed by some because of the effect they can have on other taxing bodies, their long life, and their misuse in some cities. The amount that other taxing bodies receive in property taxes from a TIF district are frozen for 23 years. The reasoning behind this is that these are blighted properties that would not otherwise have increased in value if not for the improvements. However, this is a false notion because one would be hard pressed to find any property in this area, even the most blighted, that is today paying less in taxes than they were in 1986. A rising tide lifts all boats. This means that the schools, parks, and fire districts are losing out on revenue they otherwise would have collected even if no new development had happened.

TIF districts can also create new costs for other taxing bodies that did not previously exist. If a TIF district is developed to include condos and other residential uses in an area that previously had none there are no more students to be educated, but no additional funds to pay for that education. The rest of the taxpayers outside of the TIF district would have to pick up that cost. The same would be true of increased need for policing if the TIF contained additional commercial uses such as bars, restaurants, and shopping. Many proponents of TIF districts claim that they do not increase anyone's taxes. However, the additional costs created that cannot be paid using TIF funds must be paid for by someone and that someone will be all the taxpayers outside of the TIF district.

The third concern raised is the misuse of TIF districts. They are meant for blighted and depressed areas that would not otherwise be able to be redeveloped into a higher, better use. There are certainly cities that have found areas that this applies to. However, others have taken areas that are already improving and used TIF districts to speed the process along or to be able to provide even greater economic incentives to developers. TIF districts were not meant to be used as a common economic development tool in all situations, they are instead meant for specific circumstances. This is a concern because of the costs that TIF districts can impose upon other taxing bodies and on the taxpayers. That cost may be worthwhile if it leads to development that would not otherwise be possible, but it would be a high price to pay for development that could have been brought about by other means.

I have been involved in the creation and administration of TIF districts in other cities and have seen the potential benefits they offer as well as the problems they create. Before the city creates on, it is important that we all are educated and informed. This means that we need to know exactly what properties will be included, what the money will be spent on, if financial incentives are being given to businesses, and what the impact on the schools and other taxing bodies will be. Following tonight's work session, I will post details of what is being proposed by the city as well as my own analysis of the information presented.

Mayoral Ethics, Part II

2009-01-05T22:00:00.000-06:00

A few months ago it was revealed that the Committee to Re-Elect Mayor Nick Churnovic had accepted donations from two engineering firms that were actively seeking to do business with the City at that time. A portion of the City Council at that time spoke out against his actions and publicly stated that they did not want to see pay-to-play politics become the way Crest Hill is run.

Well, the Mayor has now reaffirmed his belief that pay-to-play is the means by which he is governing the City of Crest Hill. His re-election committee has accepted money from Allied Waste. This is the same company that is looking to get a five year garbage services contract from the City without bidding. Mayor Churnovic expressed his strong support that the Council not go out for bid but instead consider only proposals from Allied Waste. The reason for this is now very clear.

Apparently, there is no need to bid for contracts with the City if you contribute to the Mayor's re-election campaign. This is a clear abuse of his office as Mayor and a betrayal of the public trust. How many other instances are there of the Mayor accepting donations from those either doing business with or seeking to do business with the City? After seeing how the State has been hurt by this type of corruption, do we really want this for Crest Hill?

The time has come to demand better from our politicians. We do not need a Mayor who trades city contracts for campaign contributions any more than we need a Governor who sells a Senate seat for campaign contributions. Why would we want the shame of pay-to-play politics on a local level? The Mayor has shown repeatedly that he desires to run the city in this manner though. The voters need to send a clear message come April by voting to replace the Mayor and any other official that supports his way of running this city.

Wasting Money

2008-12-27T16:35:00.002-06:00

Crest Hill has found yet another way to waste the taxpayers' money. This time I had to look no further than my mailbox. I received vehicle sticker applications for eight vehicles. Of these only two were for vehicles currently owned.

Four were for vehicles that had been registered to previous residents who have not lived at my address since at least 2005. Yet, the City has seen the need to send applications each year. The other two were for vehicles that I donated to charities in 2006 and 2007. Neither of these were registered with the city in 2008. Would it be so difficult for the City to purge its records of vehicles that were not registered last year? I could even see giving them an extra year in case some people overlooked getting a sticker for one year, but why send for vehicles last registered in 2005 or before?

Even more distressing is that the postcards were sent with first class postage as if they were letters and not post cards. This means that every single application sent out was at an extra cost of 15 cents. That may seem small, but it adds up when you think of how many thousands of vehicles are in Crest Hill and then add the thousands of vehicles that used to be in Crest Hill and still get postcards.

Once we figure the cost of printing and mailing all the applications, the cost of the actual vehicle stickers, and the time spent by city staff administering the vehicle sticker program; a significant portion of the revenue is spent on that. It is wasteful to have in place a tax that has little purpose beyond raising enough revenue to continue to be administered and enforced.

The time as come to evaluate this program and determine if it is worth saving. City Clerk Christine Vershay-Hall has stated previously that she thinks the vehicle stickers should be done away with. And I agree that as long as the cost of the sticker is held so low, there is no reason to continue it. And this does not seem to be a good time to raise the cost of stickers. I would much rather see the stickers ended. The loss of revenue will be minor because the cost savings would be significant. If the stickers are not eliminated; the process of sending applications and issuing stickers needs to be made much more efficient.

Trashing the Principles of Good Government

2008-12-05T15:06:00.003-06:00

Public bodies typically put contracts for goods and services out to bid for a number of reasons. The primary reason is to obtain the best price possible through competition. Additional reasons relate to fairness to all businesses, eliminating discrimination, and reducing corruption.

The best price for a good or service can be obtained through competition, which is the basis of the bidding process. As an example lets pretend that I am going to buy your car. In one case, I ask you to tell me how much you will sell your car to me for and tell you that I want your car and will not buy a car from anyone else or even find out the price of a similar car from anyone else. In the second case, I ask you how much you will sell your car to be for ad tell you that I will be getting prices from 5 other people with nearly identical cars and will buy the one with the lowest price. In which case will you give me the lowest price? I think the clear answer is that the lowest price will be given in the second case where there is competition. Of course, some people may ask for the same amount in both cases, but it would seem pretty illogical for anyone to offer a lower price in the first case.

Well, most of the City Council has decided that Allied Waste is illogical and will offer the city the best price on garbage service if they are allowed to propose a 5 year contract without having to bid against other companies. Instead of finding out what other companies would charge to provide service they have decided to seek a proposal from one company only. Ray Soliman was that only Council member to speak up against this plan. The rest of the Council and the Mayor decided that financial responsibility and good government are not of importance.

It is possible that Allied Waste will provide the best service at the lowest price. However, we will never know if that is the case unless we allow all companies interested in providing garbage service to bid for the contract. What is the Council's reason to oppose bidding? Their publicly stated reason is that they believe that Allied Waste will bid a higher price if faced with competition than they would offer if only their proposal in considered. That seems to run counter to logic, but we all know that there are members of this Council who would never let logic stop them from violating every principle of good government that they can violate. As for the members who normally support the principles of good government and fiscal responsibility, I can only hope that they will realize their error before approving a contract without bids. Ray Soliman was the lone voice on the right side of the issue at the work session on November 21, but I will be looking for others to join him when the issue comes up in a Council meeting.

Another item to be aware of besides the decision not to put the contract out to bid, is that the Council is looking for Allied Waste to hold rates flat for the first two years and defer the increases until the third, fourth, and fifth year of the contract. I can assure you that the increases in the last three years of the contract will be considerable in order to make up for the lower rates the first two years. On top of this they are looking to allow Allied Waste to add a fuel surcharge if fuel prices go above a set price. The residents will be forced to help Allied Waste cover their fuel costs if diesel prices go up again, but we will not have our garbage rates go down if diesel prices fall. The City Council sees no problem with this one sided proposal.

The only possible positive is that they are looking to provide wheeled containers with lids to all the homes for trash and recyclables. There some definite benefits to this idea and I know a number of people have been asking for this. Of course there is no reason why this could not have been included in a request for bids from other companies.

Job Well Done

2008-11-17T23:27:00.003-06:00

The City has been working with Canadian National Railroad to reach an agreement to have the railroad make needed improvements within Crest Hill, if they are approved to purchase the EJ&E tracks. This agreement was approved by the City at tonight's meeting after a number of work sessions and a great deal of communication between the City Attorney and CN. The City Administrator also spent a great deal of time working out this agreement.

The city will be getting quiet zones, sound barriers along the tracks near a residential neighborhood, a berm near another neighborhood, a fence and grubbing where the tracks pass near Richland school, and a commitment to reduce the idling of trains in the city. All of this is being paid for by the CN at a cost of potentially over $1 million. They are of course not doing this merely out of the goodness of their hearts, but to try to win support for their purchase of the tracks. The city though did work hard to get all that they could.

I commend the hard work of city staff on this effort and congratulate the Council on approving an agreement with a company that many in Crest Hill and many other suburbs would rather not see come here at all. They realized that we do not have the power to stop the deal, but we did have the power to create a number of benefits for ourselves. This willingness to work with CN has not been present in many other communities. Crest Hill definitely stands out as a shining example in this case. Too often I wish we would follow the example of other cities that are doing the right thing, but in this case we have chosen to set the example.

I will be hoping that our professional city staff continues to help the Council take advantage of opportunities such as this to put aside politics and do what is best for the city and its citizens. And of course that the Council continues to have the wisdom and dedication to take such actions.

Still Waiting for a Plan

2008-11-17T23:05:00.006-06:00

The City has begun some improvements to the water and sewer systems. Smoke testing of the sewers has been done and further analysis is scheduled. Cora Street is under construction and other improvements have been begun. What has not happened however is a plan has not been presented. Over a year after our water and sewer rates were increased, there is still no detailed Capital Improvements Plan for the water and sewer system improvements.

This plan should include lists of projects to be completed each year for the next 10 to 20 years, both new infrastructure as well as major improvements to existing infrastructure. Also the source of funding for these projects should be identified for each year. This type of plan allows the city to balance its expected revenue against its expected needs and then plan the work over a longer time frame. Major maintenance items are budgeted for so that they are not surprise costs when things break down from age and potential shortfalls are known about years in advance.

Most cities have these types of plans for all capital spending, such as roads, buildings, water systems, storm and sanitary sewers, and even vehicles. They are valuable tools for ensuring the long term financial health of a city and the most efficient use of city funds through planning. I do not expect that Crest Hill implement Capital Improvement Plans for all aspects of the city immediately, although it would be a good thing and should have been in place already. I do feel though that after putting in place steep rate increases on top of automatic annual increases, that exceed inflation, they should have such a plan for the water and sewer systems. Continuing to use pay-as-you-go does not serve the best interests of the citizens of Crest Hill.

We deserve better, we deserve well planned improvements to bring our water and sewer systems, we deserve to have our money used wisely and efficiently. I just want to know when we will get what we deserve. I want a plan that is more than just raising our rates. I want a plan that is fixing our problems and letting everyone know what our money is being used for.

A Different Way of Doing Things

2008-10-08T19:09:00.003-06:00

While, I am a resident of Crest Hill and have taken an intense interest in the operations of our city government, I also a resident of a number of other political entities. One of which is Plainfield Township, due to my living west of Gaylord Rd, unlike most of the rest of the city which is in Lockport Township to the east. I have long meant to attend the meetings of the township as well as other entities in the area.

My experience at the township meeting stood in stark contrast to the many Crest Hill City Council meetings I have attended. This was most evident in how public comment was handled. Public comments were taken at the beginning and at the end of the meeting. Taking comments at the beginning allowed citizens to speak on issues prior to action being taken and allowed residents not to have to stay until the end of the meeting just to be heard. Of even greater note though was how the comments were responded to by the Township Supervisor and Board members. The residents were treated with respect, their issues were discussed in detail, there was a dialogue between the residents and the elected officials, and the residents were told exactly what actions would be taken in response to their comments. The board spent half an hour dealing with the two residents comments regarding the recent flooding in the township.

Contrast this with how the Crest Hill City Council treats its residents when they make public comment. The only response to many comments is a cursory "thank you." Others are met with derision and dismissal by Mayor Churnovic. The best one can hope for is a statement that the Mayor will look into it and that the resident should talk to the Mayor later. The Mayor and Council refuse to ever discuss a matter with a concerned citizen publicly, even though many times an issue affecting one person affects a number of others in the City. Crest Hill views public comments as something that has to be endured, should be completed as quickly as possible, and do not need to be followed up on. I think this makes a strong statement about how the City and some of its officials view the citizens and their concerns.

This is jut one more reason why change is needed in the City of Crest Hill. A change of attitudes. A change of priorities. And a change of elected officials.

City Communication

2008-10-06T19:50:00.003-06:00

At tonight's City Council meeting a contract with a technology consultant was approved to create and maintain a website for the city. I had a chance a couple months ago to hear a representative of the technology consulting firm present to the Council. I was impressed with what he had to say and feel he will be able to serve the city well. Crest Hill has a website currently, but has done an extremely poor job of keeping it updated and relevant. I wish it had been possible for the city staff to have kept the existing site in the condition that the citizens deserved. However that will now be taken care and the first year's cost is being covered by a State grant, thankfully.

I am a strong proponent of people knowing what the City is doing and being able to participate in government. An open and accessible government is the best way to force our elected officials to do their jobs, work for our best interest, and root out corruption and inefficiency. A website that provides information on meeting dates, agendas, minutes, local ordinances, and the ability to interact with city government on-line is a large step towards more open and accessible government. Once it is on-line, the whole world knows what is going on and the actions of out city will no longer be hidden away. And a citizen that can contact the city and get what he or she needs with a few clicks of a mouse, is more involved than may otherwise have been possible.

During the meeting, I was also reminded a number of times of one of the great communication failings of this city. Numerous agenda items are voted one with little discussion or explanation. Most of those in the audience and watching on television have little idea of the issues being decided. If one really wants to know what is going on, one would need to attend the work sessions where the issues are discussed in depth and questioned fully. While these work sessions are open to the public, they are poorly attended for a number of reasons and also they are not televised. The work sessions are not held on a consistent basis or always on the same day of the week. This makes it difficult to know when all work sessions are. I find myself often having to stop by city hall and check the posted agendas to keep track of when they are. And the varying evenings are not conducive to those with busy schedules who need to plan ahead if they wish to attend city meetings. The real failure though is that the City does not broadcast the work sessions.

The City controls the public access channel that the council meetings and other community events are broadcast on. The City has given control of the channel to a group of volunteers and has contributed thousands of dollars towards the equipment used to run the channel. While, I recognize that any broadcasts require the time and efforts of this group of volunteers, I feel that it is the responsibility of the City to work with them to broadcast the work sessions. I do not think it is too much to ask this of those who run the station in consideration of what the City provides to them in terms of funding and the opportunity to broadcast other content. I do not see the need for the work sessions to be done in the same quality as the council meetings if that would allow the use of fewer people to record the meeting.

Communication is about more than the City merely keeping the residents informed, it is about allowing the citizens to be involved in government. This cannot be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, if the people are kept in the dark and unable to know what the government is doing. I applaud the City for taking a step in the right direction with the website and urge them to keep working to improve communication in other ways so as to better serve this city.

Why Must We Feud?

2008-10-02T16:16:00.001-06:00

I have lived in Crest Hill for 3 years now and am still unable to figure out why everyone seems to be so defensive of their city and so opposed to any other city. Every political entity that covers multiple cities seems to have their oppinions divided by those municipal boundries. This is not something I have really seen as much elsewhere.

District 205 (Lockport Township HS) seems forever divided by Lockport vs. Homer Glen. People in Lockport do not feel that a school in their district is theirs if it is in Homer Glen. And Homer Glen residents seem to have a chip on their shoulder that the district and the current schools bear the Lockport name.

The Des Plaines Valley Library District serves 70,000 people, but feels it needs 3 libraries to do so. Or more accurately feels that it needs to build a library in each city served if they are going to be able to get a building referendum passed. One library could serve the entire district, as long as the State sees fit to leave the bridges open and to even possibly build an addtional one someday. That would of course mean the library would be in one city and not the other two. The residents of the other two cities could not stand for that. They would scream that they were paying for another city's library. Of course they ignore the fact that they would still use it regardless of city boundries.

I can imagine if we all functioned the way that residents of this area do. We would insist that if the federal government wants to build an office building, they had better build one in every city becuase we will not support Washington DC's buildings with our tax dollars. And we should stop building highways that are driven on by people from other parts of the country. Sure we are all one country, but why should Arizona get a new "elite" highway that we have to pay for? They should break off and form a new nation and build their own highway!

I do not know why this attitude is so strong here. Why are we so protective of our cities and so opposed to our neighbors? Especially since so many of our local governments cross city borders. Our school districts, park districts, fire protection districts, library districts and townships cross municipal boundries. These entities provide us far more services than our cities do and should tie us together. And then we must ask the question of why can we go just a little west and see a different attitude? The four high schools with Plainfield in their names serve kids from a number of surrounding communities and there has been no outcry about their names and no one complains that Plainfield taxpayers built a school that is attended by kids from Joliet.

Upcoming Spring Election

2008-09-25T12:14:00.003-06:00

I am looking forward to the 2009 Spring Municipal Election here in Crest Hill. It could be a chance to see real change come to this city and with it the idea that government should be responsible to the people. This will require good candidates to come out and stand for election. I can understand why many people would not want to subject themselves to being part of a City Council that has seen members yell at each other, the Mayor yell at members and cut them off short, the Treasurer refuse to provide requested information in a timely manner, and citizens treated as if their opinions and problems were trivial. This is not an ideal environment, but it is all the more reason why we need as many citizens as possible to step up and put themselves forward to serve this city. We need people to step up and run for all the offices that will be open. These offices will be Mayor, Treasurer, Clerk, and one council member in each of the four wards. There will be some good people who will hopefully chose to run for re-election, however I would still encourage everyone to get involved. Democracy is made healthier by having choices. If you have any interest in serving and making this a better city, please put yourself out there, talk to others in this city, and take the time to learn the steps necessary to run.

As some of you know, I made an effort to run for office in 2007 and was removed from the ballot for technical reasons due to an effort to limit the voters choice. I learned from that experience and would be happy to share my knowledge with others and to give my support and encouragement to anyone wishing to run.

Mayoral Ethics

2008-08-19T15:43:00.002-06:00

Two weeks ago, it was revealed that the committee to reelect Mayor Churnovic had accepted donations from two engineering firms seeking to do business with the City of Crest Hill. It was certainly disappointing to find out that the unethical way of doing business that is so common in Springfield and Chicago as is how things work in Crest Hill. It is not clear if the committee solicited the donations knowing that the firms were looking to get city contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And it is not clear how much direct control the Mayor had over the actions of the committee.

Since that time, Mayor Churnovic has made donations to three local charities in the amount that the engineering firms had given to the committee to re-elect him. He seems to think that this solves the problem and relieves him of all ethical questions. That is simply not true. This is merely the first step that needs to be taken.

Next, he needs to publicly state if the committee solicited the donations or if the engineering firms gave them without being solicited in any way. And he needs to state what his involvement and knowledge of the committee's actions were. Then based upon those facts he needs to take further action.

If the donations were completely unsolicited, Mayor Churnovic should make it clear to his committee that no donations are to be accepted from any company or individual seeking to do business with the city. No further action would be needed beyond that as long as the committee acts ethically from that point forward.

If the donations were solicited, the Mayor needs to disavow himself of the committee and all those involved with it in any way. That means not accepting any of the funds they have raised, not including the members of the committee on his re-election campaign, and definitely not giving them appointments within city government.

And of course if the Mayor had prior knowledge that the committee was going to engage in pay-to-play politics and approved of their absolutely unethical activities, there is no reason why he should continue to lead the city. I have no reason to believe that is the case and definitely hope that it isn't. I would hope that Crest Hill and our Mayor is above such activities.

While accepting money from those seeking to do business with the city is not illegal, it is unquestionably unethical. Pay-to-play politics has greatly hurt the state government and local governments throughout the state. I do not want to see it introduced to Crest Hill. Especially at a time when the State is currently looking to outlaw such practices at the state level.

A New Tax and Lack of Citizen Involvement

2008-07-07T20:54:00.004-06:00

At the July 7th, 2008 City Council meeting several citizens addressed the Council to ask about the proposed Utility Tax and specifically why more public participation was not sought. The Mayor and Council answered these questions with resounding silence. The Mayor is not one to let any comment go without a response even if his only response is to be dismissive to the citizens of Crest Hill. This time he and the other members of the Council sat silent because the only response that could have been given was that they did not want citizens to participate in the consideration of this new tax. Their hope is that the tax is silently implemented and no one notices.

This is simply the wrong attitude for our elected officials to have. The public deserves to be included in the making of all decisions, especially the enactment of a new tax. Regardless of how badly the city needs the revenue or how much better this new tax might be than the alternatives, the public still deserves to be engaged. Tell us why this tax is needed, tell us what other options are out there, listen to our opinions, solicit our ideas for alternatives, and then make an informed decision and do what you believe is best for Crest Hill and its residents. That is all I and many of my fellow citizens ask of our Mayor and City Council.

A Mayor or a Dictator

2008-05-06T11:01:00.002-06:00

At one point during the May 5th City Council meeting, I found myself thinking that maybe I had been too harsh on Mayor Churnovic in the past and that perhaps he did deserve some praise. This came after he had spoken on the successful efforts to keep Statesville open, his trip to the Philippines, and his upcoming trip to Las Vegas. These all seemed to show him to be an active and dedicated mayor. It took only moments though for those thoughts to quickly be shattered.

Mayor Churnovic explained his plan to circumvent the City Council and begin the process of hiring a new Police Chief. He then proceeded to scream at Alderperson Convery when questioned about this matter. It is just shameful that a mayor would not only ignore the desires of the City Council and the advice of the just retired Police Chief, but would then throw a fit when questioned.

This show was not enough for Mayor Churnovic though. He next was asked why he had held several events in different wards and not given the alderpersons for those wards a courtesy notice. Meeting with residents is definitely a positive thing to do, but the Mayor should show some courtesy and invite the alderpersons as well, especially if he is inviting other city officials. Instead of taking this constructive suggestion from 3 alderpersons, Mayor Churnovic defended his lack of consideration by being condescending and rude.

Crest Hill deserves a city government that can work together for the betterment of this city. That will not happen as long as we have a Mayor that yells at Council members and treats them with contempt. No matter how hard Mayor Churnovic works to develop Crest Hill, it is all for nothing if he allows his bad attitude and lack of self-control tear the City Council apart and make citizens afraid to question him.

Almost $2.2 Million Vanished

2008-05-03T05:38:00.004-06:00

On Monday, April 28th, an employee of the Treasurer's Office stated to the City Council that the City of Crest Hill had no reserve funds left. She repeated that it was all gone.

According to the Treasurer's Annual Report, had a cash fund balance of $2,191,273.03 on April 30, 2007. This report was published in the Herald News on October 19, 2007.

The city was budgeted to spend $1.1 million of the reserved during this past year. However, based upon the statements from the April 28th Council Work Session, it is clear that the deficit was twice what was budgeted. This is most likely the reason why the Treasurer's Office has refused to give projections for the entire fiscal year, which just ended.

The news is not going to get better by delaying it. I fear that the reason for the delay is that the news may be even worse than this. Has the City dipped into other funds to pay for general operating expenses? Have our increased water and sewer bills been going to fund other departments? Is this why the city refuses to release a capital plan outlining how the new water and sewer revenue is going to be spent?

These questions cannot be answered because the financial information is being kept secret, even from City Council members. It is time to shine some light on the financial situation of Crest Hill. Nothing positive can come from keeping everyone in the dark.

Digging a Deeper Hole

2008-04-28T21:43:00.004-06:00

The City of Crest Hill keeps digging the hole deeper. The budget for the fiscal year ending in two days was $1.1 million dollars in the red. After a year of looking for ways to cut costs and increase revenues, the city is now considering a proposed budget that is $800,000 in the hole. While this is an improvement, it is far from good enough. According to an employee of the Treasurer's office, the city has no reserve funds left. This means that if the budget is not balanced the city will be broke. The time for action is long passed, but the Council seems reluctant to take action.

It is hard to understand why the same council that raised water and sewer rates without a plan of how to use the money, would not be willing to have a balanced city budget. The general fund budget leaves much to be desired in that sufficient explanation was not offered as to why many lines were increased by several hundred percent over what was budgeted for the past fiscal year and what was actually spent this past year. But, it is a plan which is more than can be said of the still non-existent capital plan for the water and sewer systems.

The time has come to insist that our elected officials pass a balanced budget, that all city departments and employees reduce city spending, and that the city begin sharing information so that we all know the real state of our city. As of right now we have hit the rock bottom of the hole and the Council is trying to keep digging.

Newest Threat to Cottonwood Farm

2008-03-10T21:38:00.003-06:00

The Crest Hill city council tonight held a work session to look at ways in which to raise more revenue. They discussed many item at length including higher fines, fees, and utility taxes. One of the taxes they are looking at is expanding the amusement tax to cover Cottonwood Farm's Halooween celebration.

For the past several years, Crest Hill has been after Cottonwood Farm for a variety of issues. I do not know when or why they decided that they had it out for this long time local business. No other Crest Hill business advertises as widely as they do and makes an effort to bring people from as large an area to Crest Hill as they do. From billboards in Chicago to crop images that are seen by passing airplanes. This business does more to bring attention to Crest Hill than any other business. Yet, the Mayor and his allies target this business more so than any other in the city.

How is it that the business they want to drive away is a farm that provides entertainment, greenspace, advertising, and tax revenues to the city while being a good neighbor and citizen; while thet happily allow preditory payday loan stores proliferate?

I think it is time to demand some answers and to recoginize that this is not an attempt to raise revenue, but is just the lastest assault on this particular business.

Forum for New Libraries

2008-03-07T13:32:00.001-06:00

On Thursday, March 6, the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District held a forum at Richland School to discuss the current status and future needs of its libraries. The forum concentrated on the Crest Hill branch and on the deficiencies of the building and current level of funding. The purpose of the forum seemed to be to sell the community on the need for a new library. However, no further thought went into it, so we were all left without a sense of where things go from here.

The assumption is that a new library was needed. Actually, three new libraries, one for each Crest Hill, Lockport, and Romeoville would be needed. We also know that the district has been hiring consultants to evaluate the current buildings and look at what sort of new facilities are needed. What we do not know is what type of time frame is being contemplated for future action. We do not have even a clue of how much these new libraries are going to cost or what that will mean for tax rates. And we do not know what these libraries would contain or look like. All of this is important information that will have an effect on people’s opinions and feelings.

Even among the small group of people who attending this forum, a range of positions could begin to be seen. It is my feeling that this lack of information intensified negative feelings and weakened positive feelings. This will continue to be the case as time goes on and will form the basis of long-term opinions if solid facts do not start being presented soon. There are many in this community that cannot afford higher taxes and are especially opposed to anything that they consider wasteful. These people will need to be won over to the need for a library and without knowing specifics of what is being proposed will soon imagine a building that is huge, architecturally complex, state of the art, and very expensive. This idea that they imagined will be what they will be voting on, not the reality of what will be proposed. And those who support the idea of a better library system will soon find that it is hard to get behind an abstract idea.

Speaking for myself, I strongly support a new library. I oppose most tax increases and have rarely seen a referendum that I like. However, I would vote to double the library portion of my tax bill without reservation, as long as I got a library that had adequate computer resources, comfortable areas in which to read, and a convenient location. There are many other features to a library, but these are the ones that have value to me. Until, I know that this new facility will meet my needs, it is hard for me to strongly support it. I certainly do not oppose a new library, but I am left feeling less than enthusiastic.

The library board needs to quickly take the next step and decide among three options; maintain the existing libraries, renovate and modernize the existing libraries, or build new libraries. Maintaining the existing facilities without major renovation and modernization will lead to a slow decay and death of our local libraries. However, renovating and modernizing them would cost a great deal of money to add very little in terms of space or functionality. Deciding to build new libraries is the only sensible choice if we want to have quality facilities at a moderate cost for the coming decades.

If the library board were to agree and make the decision to build new libraries, they should then explore what the communities want in their library. This phase should also look at what the future of libraries might be, in order to design facilities for tomorrow instead of for yesterday or even today. We are only a century removed from inaccessible library stacks, only a few decades removed from libraries as silent, studious places, and only a decade removed from libraries having just a few computers in a side room with limited access. It would be foolish to think that 20 or 40 years down the road, libraries will look much like they do today. This is the time for public comment on individual ideas and on overall plans.

Once, the library board, with citizen’s input, has decided on what they feel is needed, a referendum should follow quickly. A long drawn out process, builds apathy instead of support. Trying to drum up support for replacing the current libraries is more difficult that trying to get support for a specific new libraries. Show us what you want to build and tell us what you want to spend.

Time Off

2008-03-07T13:31:00.000-06:00

I had expected to post a number of times since my last post. However, illness and personal matter have kept me from posting and have also kept me from attending a number of city council meetings and work sessions. I still have some items on which to write and look forward to doing so.

An Additional Purpose

2008-02-11T10:52:00.000-06:00

As everyone can see, the frequency of my posting has decreased as time has passed. This does not mean that I find any less to comment on or that it has been a futile effort. Instead, I find myself with many ideas of what I would like to post on, but let too much time pass that topics lose their timeliness.

In addition, I have seen how poorly the city communicates its agendas and minutes to the public. A good explanation of why agendas are not available on-line has yet to be offered. It would take the Clerk no more time to post an agenda on-line as it takes to tack one up in City Hall. Also, much of the City's business takes place in work sessions that are not broadcast, covered by the media, or have minutes distributed.

This has led me to the decision to post following each Council meeting and work session and comment on the happenings of that meeting. These will not be complete minutes of the meetings or even cover the entire meeting. It will address at least what I feel is the most important issue that was raised. It will accurate, but it will not be neutral. These postings will still be my opinions of what is taking place. So the moral of this story is check back frequently.

Response to an Anonymous Critic, Part II

2007-10-26T08:37:00.000-06:00

Here is part two of my response to Anonymous.

Anonymous stated:
P.S. one of the problems with the city is all the residents that have lived here less than 5 years that think the know the city. Maybe you need to go back and see how things were run in this city prior to Churnovic. All of the aldermen/alderwomen under Randich were "yes" people. Nothing got done and if Randich didn't want it it didn't get passed. No matter how good it was for the city.

My response:
In a city in which the majority of its residents have lived here for less than five years this type of comment has no place. I will admit that I do not know how the city was run under Randich. However, the most important thing is not if I know about the Crest Hill of yesteryear, but if I know what good government is. I do know what good government is and I do know what I should expect from a well run local government. That is what I want. If Randich did not deliver good government then, I wish to thank all of you who voted him out of office. However, that does not mean that we should stop demanding better government.

As for my opinions about Mr. Churnovic.... I honestly think that he dominates Crest Hill government in a way that is not healthy for the city and that he is often very dismissive of residents who questions him. However, I think that this comes from the fact that he faced a lot of opposition when first elected and that he feels that he can overcome opposition by using his powers as Mayor. That being said, he is an intelligent man who truly believes that he is doing his best for Crest Hill. I do not think he has ever done anything that he did not fully believe was right and in the public interest. I admire his dedication and determination. I do disagree with some of the things that he has done. However, I have never called for him to be ousted from office, I would prefer to see him focus on making city government more inclusive and open. And I would like to see more moves towards good government in Crest Hill. I do not see any reason why the current Mayor and most of the City Council cannot be the ones to move in that direction. I am neither for or against changing the faces at the head table, I am for changing some of their actions though.

Response to an Anonymous Critic, Part I

2007-10-26T08:25:00.000-06:00

I have previously responded to some comments by posting comments myself and I have corresponded with some readers by e-mail. However, there have been some recent comments that I feel should be addressed in their own postings. This first one is being split in half because then last shot that the writer took at me and others deserves to be a subject on its own and in fact is of greater importance than this first item I will respond to. It would be interesting to know who the anonymous commenter was, however he/she did not feel confident enough to leave a name or e-mail address.

Anonymous stated:
You are partially right in regards to the opens meeting act, however, I believe you need a hearning aid because they do say why they are going into a closed session. They may not list each item prior to adjourning to closed session but during the course of the meeting it is mentioned that a executive session is needed. Second - if your truly read the law then you know it is permissable to have an executive session for personnel. Would you like your employer to discuss you in front of everyone, whether it was your evaluation, medical condition for a medical leave or a discpline problem. I think not so get off it. I don't think you mentioned that by "law" you can hold an executive, or closed, session for personnel, litigation, and/or land acquisition. I also belive that by law the minutes from said closed session are available for review after 6 months by filing a freedom of information act. So file away!

My response:
The intent of the law is that the reasons for the closed session are to be part of the motion for the closed session. Off-hand comments during the meeting as to issues on which a closed session is needed are not sufficient.

I never said that it was not permissible to hold a closed session for personnel reasons. I simply stated that not every issue that can be connected to personnel has to be in closed session. I do not think it would be appropriate to discuss an employees medical condition in open session, in fact that may run afoul of medical privacy laws. And I would strongly recommend that discipline and evaluations be done in closed session. However, pay and hours should be in open session. And that does mean that the question of why Employee X is not getting a raise could come up and the answer could be poor performance. And performance issues that are not related to a specific disciplinary action usually should be subject to open discussion.

I certainly do not think that closed sessions are without merit or proper usefulness. I just believe that they should be used sparingly and only when necessary for reasons of protecting key privacy of employees, protecting the city in ongoing legal and financial negotiations and where required by law.

Closed Session = Secret Government

2007-08-30T09:54:00.000-06:00

Anyone who watches Crest Hill city council meetings has certainly noticed that there seems to be a closed session at every meeting and that when some council members ask questions the response is that it is a matter for closed session. Well, I am very uncomfortable with closed sessions and feel that government should be as open and transparent as possible. So I decided to read the actual law and to read legal opinions interpreting it. As should be expected the first thing I learned was that Crest Hill does not follow the law.

The motion for a closed session MUST state which of the specific exclusions in the Open Meetings law covers the matter that will be discussed in closed session. If they are meeting to discuss employee contracts, they must say that. If they are meeting to discuss a pending lawsuit, then they must say that. They cannot simply state that a closed session is needed without any further information.

A closed session is never required. The city council can discuss any matter they wish to in open session. If Alderman Vershay wants to know who worked overtime, when they worked, and for how many hours, the City Treasurer can and should answer that question instead of deferring it to closed session. The Open Meetings law states a limited number of topics than MAY be discussed in closed session, but does not limit what can be discussed in open session. In addition, there is no obligation of city council members to keep secret what happens in closed session. The law does not prohibit anyone in a closed session from disclosing any matter discussed and specifically states that there is no penalty or retribution for disclosure.

It is time for our city government to comply with the letter and the spirit of the law. I call upon the Mayor and the City Clerk to ensure that all future closed sessions are properly held and to inform the Council and the public that any subject may be discussed in open session if so desired. I also call upon the City Clerk to release full transcripts of all illegally held closed sessions. And finally, in order to fulfill the spirit of the law, I ask any City Council member who believes in open government to speak publicly about anything that occurs in closed session that should not be secret.

Citizen Action

2007-08-29T14:52:00.000-06:00

The situation with water rates has motivated local residents to get active and be heard. Not only are they making their voices heard on the issue of astronomically higher water and sewer rates, but they have also brought the issue of water quality to light. People are posting on the internet, going door-to-door talking to neighbors, compiling surveys, and packing city council work sessions. This is democracy in action and I hope to see it continue until these issues are resolved and beyond that until Crest Hill once again is run for and by the citizens. This city is not going to get better overnight, but it can get much better.

I am curious though as to how Mayor Churnovic next plans to stifle citizen involvement. I am looking forward to seeing quite a crowd at the next City Council meeting. Of course, I am willing to bet that they will not even consider moving it to a location with adequate parking and seating. That would allow the citizens to observe and participate in the meeting and we can be sure that Mayor Churnovic and certain others on the council do not want to allow that to happen.

Disappointing Mayoral Achievement

2007-08-16T15:16:00.000-06:00

The City of Crest Hill has passed a budget that shows the sad state of affairs in the city. The mayor decided earlier this year that a finance committee was not necessary since a City Administrator had been hired. So the City Administrator brought a budget to the City that was over $1.5 million in the red. After slashing and raising fees and rates, it was passed still over $1 million short. So this is what is accomplished without a finance committee. How very sad. I hope the mayor is proud of his brilliant idea.

Some of the blame rests at the City Administrator's feet as well though. He is the one that brought a budget so out of line to the Council in the first place. When I served as a City Administrator, I would never have even considered bringing the City Council an unbalanced budget. And that certainly was not easy in a city that had seen its finances destroyed by years of poor spending and embezzlement. In fact, my aim was to have a budget that had 3% surplus and then to be able to work during the year to keep spending below budget and revenue above it. Even the most fiscally irresponsible person can put together a budget that is over a million dollars short of balancing. However, I believe that a City Administrator is a professional who should bring with them a set of skills in matters such as finance.

The third person bearing some responsibility here is the City Treasurer. While, I have seen nothing to indicate that he is not fulfilling his duties as specified, I think at this time Crest Hill needs something more. I feel that the City Treasurer needs to stand up and be the voice of moderation and reform. I call on him to watch every cent of the budget and not to release a cent of it that is not specifically budgeted. This type of discipline is the best we can hope for the coming months. He also should publicly release all the financial data of the City. This would allow citizens to know what is really going on and may help to spur a public demand for reform. Finally, the Treasurer needs to take a stand and be a leader pushing for fiscal responsibility even beyond what is role is. He should use his office to pound at the problem and keep it on the front burner. He should lead the call for change.

The City Council should never have approved a budget that sends Crest Hill closer to financial ruin. However, they had to work with a budget proposal that was badly out of balance, they lacked input through a finance committee, and they were threatened that State funding would be lost if a budget was not passed before the end of July. If I were in their place, I would have insisted on passing a bare bones balanced budget and then amended it after August 1st.

In summary, Mayor Churnovic and the City Administrator should have been the leaders of improving Crest Hill, instead the City is facing unprecedented financial difficulties because of the choices and actions of these two officials. It is sad that the time for change has come so soon.

Utility Rates To Skyrocket

2007-06-27T20:45:00.000-06:00

Crest Hill is set to raise water and sewer rates substantially. Overall revenue will increase by over 50%.

I recognize that Crest Hill's rates are currently very low and do not oppose raising rates if necessary. However, the city has not done an actual rate study. They merely projected how much they would take in if rates were raised and called that a rate study.

A real rate study would look at capital structure, operation costs, depreciation, and rate of return on the money that has been invested into the city utilities over the years. Other cities run their utilities as efficient businesses, but Crest Hill refuses to. They prefer to just raise rates arbitrarily. Instead, of creating a multi-year capital plan, they are just going to collect a lot of money and then spend it.

The State of Illinois would not allow an investor owned utility to raise rates without a formal rate study and would not allow it to operate under the logic of spend money and then raise rates randomly when more money is needed. It is time for the city to begin running the water and sewer utilities as businesses and begin to focus on efficiency can controlling costs.

Where Did the City's Money Go?

2007-05-23T07:45:00.000-06:00

Crest Hill has once again used the excuse of lack of funds to answer a resident's question and refused further explanation. A gentleman asked the City Council when his street (Root Street) would be reconstructed. He explained that the rest of the streets in the area had been improved in recent years and that last June the City Council approved finds to reconstruct Root Street. The Mayor told him that the money was not there now to improve Root Street. The gentleman asked "where did the money go, since it was there less than a year ago and the project has been approved and funded almost a year ago?" This seemed to be a very reasonable question. However, the Mayor and City Administrator refused to answer it and instead suggested that the gentleman attend upcoming budget meetings.

I thought it was interesting that they would tell him this, but not even mention when these meetings were. Therefore, I stood up and asked for dates and times for these meetings. They answered that they had not set dates or times, but would post them and announce them at a future City Council meeting. If you are going to refer people to attend a meeting instead of answering their questions, it would be good to be able to give them information about that meeting.

I find it very interesting that suddenly the City has financial problem just a few months after the Mayor decided to eliminate the Finance Committee. And that previously approved and scheduled road projects are failing to be done soon after the Mayor decided to eliminate the Streets Committee. Now that these issues are in the hands of the Mayor, City Administrator, and City Treasurer alone, there seems to have been a decrease in City's abilities to deal with these issues. And not only do citizens no longer have a say on these matter via committees, but they also no longer can even get answers related to these issues. Maybe it is time to put some better skilled people in charge, namely our City Council members and fellow citizen volunteers.

Two Items of Note:
1) I was able to get some information about the recent decline in the City's financial health that the Mayor keeps referencing without giving any details. Apparently, the City is facing a $1,500,000 budget deficit. No details of how this occurred have yet come to light however.

2) Some people may question my background in criticizing those who oversee our City's finances or question what makes me think I know better than these professionals how to manage a City's finances. While, I certainly cannot claim to have more experience than any of those professionals except for the City Administrator (I have two years of experience as opposed to his few months), I instead rest upon my past accomplishments as a City Treasurer and a City Administrator for a different city. While, it was smaller than Crest Hill, its financial difficulties at the time I was hired exceeded those faced by Crest Hill. They were in debt to their debt limit, had issued short term revenue bonds in order to keep operating, and were in the process of deciding which city services to cut. Two years later, I left a city that was on firm financial footing, had completed and was in the process of completing a number of large infrastructure improvement projects. I did not shrink the budget and I raised taxes at a slower rate than inflation. What I did do was reduce costs for outside services such as legal fees, audit costs, and engineering fees. I also increased revenue by bidding out the City's back accounts to the various banks in the area in order to receive the best package of interest rates and eliminate all fees. In addition, I pursued state funds aggressively and reached agreements that ensured the the state prison in town would cover every cost associated with it from costs of utility extensions to road paving. City services were maintained and in many cases improved as employee morale increased along with the City's financial stability. Also, our water, sewer, and electric systems were in better shape than ever before and ready for growth. So, I think I have some experience behind me when I criticize others. Sure, it is only two years of experience, but compared to where a Treasurer with 20 years of experience has gotten us, I think I stand up pretty well.

Proposed Sewer Solution

2007-05-10T07:41:00.000-06:00

I previously criticized the Mayor and City council of Crest Hill for not better assisting residents with sewer back flow problems and for giving them unhelpful suggestions. Now, I will be fair and propose how I think it can be done better.

First, I need to explain the current overhead sewer program. The City of Crest Hill has a 50/50 cost sharing program for overhead sewer installation. The homeowner hires a contractor to perform the work and pays them for the full cost of the work. The homeowner then submits a copy of the bill to the city. The city reviews the work to ensure it was completed correctly and if so will reimburse the homeowner for 50% of the cost up to a total reimbursement of $4,000.

My proposals will assume a continued 50/50 since I do not expect city officials to be willing to commit to anything more. In addition, there is some sensibility to the idea that homeowners should shoulder some of the cost since this improves the value of their home and is an improvement that has benefits regardless of the condition of the city's sewer system. I would also continue to have it to be a voluntary program.

My suggestion is to have the city coordinate an annual overhead sewer replacement program. The city would contact homeowners to determine who is interested in having an overhead sewer installed. The city would then go out for bids to get all of the work done. This would allow for a lower cost to be obtained. The city would pay half the cost and charge the other half the cost to the homeowners. Each homeowner could either pay the cost at that time or have a special assessment placed against their property allowing the cost to be paid off over a period of up to ten years at a reasonable interest rate. I think this would be more appealing to homeowners, less expensive, and allows for an alternative payment method.

An Horrifying Meeting

2007-05-08T19:56:00.000-06:00

I attended a portion of the Monday, May 7th Crest Hill City Council meeting and was simply amazed at how badly citizens are treated by the Mayor and some members of the City Council. I have never seen local leaders be so dismissive of citizens.

The Mayor especially took it to a whole new level. He suggested that residents who have had their homes flooded by human waste because of deficiencies in the city's sewer system should take out home equity loans to pay to install overhead sewers in their homes. As an alternative he also suggested finding a plumber who would arrange a payment plan. The obvious solution is for the city to take responsibility for their deficient sewer system and for the damage caused by its failures. He also suggested to a resident that they park in their neighbor's driveway because the city will not allow them a driveway.

The city seems to have an excuse for everything. They do not have enough money because they do not have riverboats. That was definitely a good one. I hope you do not wish to look at the city's finances to see if that is true because they do their best to hide those facts. After having seen them, I could understand why. Revenues have exceeded the budget and expenses have been below budget. Most governments would publicize such a good financial position, however Crest Hill is afraid that if people knew they would come to expect better city services. Their other excuse is that portions of the city were built before the city was incorporated. Never mind that these existing neighborhoods formed the basis for the creation of Crest Hill or that the city has had over four decades to make improvements. These excuses are outdated, it is time for our city leaders to realize that it is 2007 and not 1967.

The real proof of just how poorly Crest Hill citizens are treated can be seen in the parking lot after any council meeting. There are large groups of people milling about talking about their many problems with the city. Crest Hill would be a nice progressive city with happy residents if not for the council and some of the staff they have hired. It is too bad. Hopefully, the two new faces on council will improve the situation. And maybe the mayor will be reigned in someday.

A Public Housing & Section 8 Alternative

2007-04-26T13:59:00.000-06:00

I would like to propose an alternative to public housing and Section 8 vouchers in Will county. It is apparent that public housing projects are failures here and elsewhere. Chicago is tearing theirs down as quickly as they can. Joliet has plans to bulldoze Poole Gardens. And it is hard to see Evergreen Terrace as anything, but a dangerous, blighted failure. The government's solution has been to try to spread public housing out throughout the community by offering Section 8 vouchers. This has allowed the problems of the projects to spread to previously stable residential neighborhoods and to hurt property values of existing homes.

My proposed alternative is to build multi-income new subdivisions. This means not simply redeveloping a small area in an existing neighborhood or renting houses in middle class neighborhoods to those on public assistance. It means building whole new neighborhoods on undeveloped land without neighboring subdivisions. Joliet, Plainfield, and numerous other communities build whole new neighborhoods of high priced homes where just last year farm animals grazed. So new neighborhoods of a different type certainly can be built.

The neighborhoods I envision would include a mix of home styles. Some duplexes, some small ranch homes, some mid-size split levels, some larger homes. Basically a mix of what one would find if they took random homes from every neighborhood in Joliet. These homes would then be sold to whomever desired to buy one. However, there would be assistance for low income families to purchase homes.

The type of assistance I am proposing would be to offer 30 year fixed term mortgages that would have the payments split between the buyers and the government. The government would pay the interest using the funds they now spend on Section 8 vouchers and housing projects. The buyers would be responsible for the principle and for property taxes. They would own their homes and be able to sell them and any rise in property values would accrue to them. There should be a method by which continued eligibility for housing assistance is determined. This would mean that if a family's income rose to there they no longer qualified for assistance the government would stop paying the interest and it would become the responsibility of the family. There could even be a sliding scale.

This arrangement provides several positives. First, it provides low income families with an investment in their homes and communities. They stand to profit or lose based upon their upkeep of their homes. They are rooted in the community instead of moving from apartment to apartment. They pay taxes so they now have a financial interest in what local governments are doing with tax dollars. Second, it protects the property values of surrounding homes. When your neighbors have an incentive to maintain their homes and to keep the neighborhood safe and clean, the value of your property is protected and enhanced. An enhanced tax base would also occur. The families moving into these new neighborhoods already send their kids to our schools. Only now instead of living in a housing project that pays no taxes, they live in a home that is taxable. They share in the costs of the government services they utilize.

These neighborhoods would be open to anyone who wished to buy a home in them regardless of their income status. Those who do not qualify for assistance would purchase a home just like they would anywhere else. Of course a home in a mixed income neighborhood would have a lower property value than a home in a neighborhood of only high end homes. But, this reduced value occurs from the moment it is built so the buyer pays a lower price. This is in contrast to existing homes that have low income families move in next door and see the home they paid full price for fall in value. If these neighborhoods prove to be safer and better maintained that most people would expect a mixed income neighborhood to be, then property values will rise as people change their opinions of such areas. This would provide a profit potential to middle and upper income people willing to take a risk and buy in these new neighborhoods.

The key question is who would build such neighborhoods since there is less profit to be made from smaller homes and the profit on any larger homes would be reduced because of reduced property values due to it being a mixed income neighborhood. We all know housing developers make their money by buying land, building oversized homes for the upper middle class, and tacking on a $100,000 premium over what they cost to build. This results in big profits for the developers and lots of new homes for those who can afford $300,000 and $400,000 homes. My proposal would be to force these same developers to build these mixed income neighborhoods. This would be done by requiring that for every building permit issued in one of their exclusive new subdivisions they build a home in one of these mixed-income subdivisions. There would need to be set quotas on how many of different size and types houses were built so that developers would build what is needed and not just what they think is profitable. This would create two benefits. First, it would mean multiple builders in each of these mixed income neighborhoods which would lead to a greater variety of homes instead of cookie-cutter homes. Second, since building these homes would be tied to getting permits for their own subdivisions, it would become a cost of doing business passed along to homebuyers who desire to live in economically segregated subdivisions.

I am sure there are numerous problems and inadequacies with this proposal. However, I think it would be a considerable improvement over the current system. It focuses on not just providing current housing for low income persons. Instead, it looks to improve their long term housing status, to create economically integrated neighborhoods, to bring people together, to maintain and enhance property values, and to create stable communities where we all have a stake and in which we all can raise our families in safety.

School Referendums Defeated

2007-04-25T15:36:00.000-06:00

Lockport Township High School District saw their referendum go down in defeat for a second year in a row. Some supporters have chastised the voters for being cheapskates. I think this is wrong though, the voters were not merely acting out of financial self interest. They were reacting to a school district that has hidden facts, tried to borrow beyond their legal debt limit, paid huge sums of money to teachers and administrators, and wants to build $100+ million school palaces.

The April 2006 referendum was defeated because of concerns over how the boundary between the two high school was drawn, resistance to building a school for Homer Glen, raw emotions over Lockport West, and concern over why Lockport Central was to be abandoned. The district did not address these effectively prior to the 2007 referendum. The boundary issue was put off the table in favor of 2 two-year campuses until some future date. Of course, we all can guess what that division in the future may look like and we know that in the absence of a referendum the concerns of citizens will be ignored. Some explanation of why the loss of Lockport West was not really harmful was given, but a more thorough analysis should be given. Don't assume we are too stupid to understand it. The community movement in Homer Glen to form their own unit district makes the fears of losing another new high school shortly after construction very relevant. The issue of Lockport Central's fate has also been glossed over. Now it supposedly will not be used for classes, but will have some other function. Well, what is that function? And why is this building now no longer good enough for students?

I have previously discussed the issue of "creative" financing being used to borrow beyond the statutory debt limit. The district has continued to defend this practice and refuse to show any fiscal responsibility. They have also not explained why less expensive school designs have not been examined and presented to the public.

To top it all off schools continue to increase the exorbitant pay of administrators and teachers. I recognize that some starting teachers are not well paid, but it only takes a few years before teachers are very well compensated and a few more years and they can be in administration where they can really rake in the money. LTHS paid their driver's education teacher over $170,000 in 2006. Do you think this is a good use of taxpayer dollars? And can you justify giving more money to such a school district?

Vote Today!

2007-04-17T08:59:00.000-06:00

Today is election day and it is important that we all get out and cast our votes. There are important issues and races on the ballot for all of our communities. Schools are asking you to allow them to take out multi-million dollar loans using your property as collateral. Politicians are asking that you leave them in office so that they can continue to cozy up to developers and continue business as usual. Many of them do not believe in democracy and have done their best to keep opponents off of the ballot and to silence debate. However, we the people do believe in democracy and should show it by going to the polls today and at every election. If there is no one on the ballot that you can support in a given race, either write someone in or skip voting in that office. Politicians know what it means when 1000 people vote in a precinct, but only 200 vote for them in an uncontested race.

I will offer my opinions on a few items on today's ballot, but hope you will all do your own research and vote in accordance with your beliefs.

In urge you to vote NO on all school referendums. The various school districts turn to the taxpayers to finance grandiose school buildings, but refuse to consider cutting their operating costs. Yes, I know that operating and capital costs are separate, but if a district wants us to support more money for capital projects, then they should also offer to lower the taxes for operating expenses. I would support school district referendums if they were building simple utilitarian buildings and were sharing the pain by cutting back on costs and on perks for their employees.

I urge you to vote for JOHN VERSHAY for 1st Ward Alderman in Crest Hill. John is a very experienced member of the city council. He operates using common sense and fairness. He also demands that city staff do their jobs and is unrelenting in those demands. Betty Lou Semplinski, one of the other candidates in this race, has also served Crest Hill well and I wish she could also be elected. However, the 1st Ward was redistricted and only one of the three candidates in this ward will be elected. I feel that John is the best choice, but hope to see Betty Lou run in two years and hopefully return to the city council.

In the 4th Ward of Lockport, I urge you not to vote for Lisa Lovelace. She is a vindictive person who has harassed her neighbors, city employees, and passersby. She has been involved in numerous police calls and has shown herself to have no self control. Lockport has too much division and confrontation on their city council already and Lisa would only take that to a new level. While I do think Dev Trivedi is a better choice than Lisa Lovelace, I cannot in good faith endorse him either.

In the race for Joliet Mayor, I urge you to vote for DALE VOLLMER. Joliet has long ignored the best interest of its citizens and has forgotten that there is more east of Black Road than just the downtown. Art Schultz brags about how all new subdivisions are gated communities of $300,000+ homes. His idea of development is to have developers build homes that the rest of us cannot afford and to erect gates to keep us out, but to allow us to pay for schools and roads to serve these new residents. New leadership is needed.

Extra Schools

2007-04-10T08:34:00.000-06:00

The school districts of Will county have been on a building spree for the past decade or so and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This makes me think of the area I grew up in, Mt. Prospect and Arlington Heights in the northwest suburbs. I went to school there about 15 to 20 years after the school building boom in that area. Instead of new schools opening, we had schools closing.

The schools were closing not because of financial difficulties or because of neighborhoods being abandoned. They were closing because of declining enrollments. The area had many subdivisions built in the 1950's and 60's. Many of the buyers of these new homes were young families who brought children with them or had children soon after moving in. Soon the school districts were building many new schools to accommodate all these new students. By the early 1980's there were far fewer children in these schools. What had happened was that many of the families that had moved in when the homes were built seen their children grow up. Most of these empty nest couples stayed in their homes and the demographics of the neighborhood shifted. Now instead of a neighborhood filled with kids and young families, it was far more mixed and if anything tilted towards older households.

The school districts reacted to this by closing schools as enrollments fell. Half of the schools in my elementary school district were closed when I was a student in the district. And if it were not for a low income apartment complex filled with large families and young children, one more of the two remaining grade schools could have been closed.

The real problem though was that school districts, especially high schools, did not anticipate the changing demographics. They operated under the assumption that development would continue and enrollments would keep rising. This resulted in fiascoes such as Maine Township North High School that had students for less than a decade before being closed. This was a multi-million dollar state of the art high school, that is best remembered for its role in "The Breakfast Club." District 214 in Arlington Heights also went from building new high schools to closing schools in a period of less than 10 years. The bonds to build new schools lasted long beyond the time when the schools were needed.

Think of how many tens of millions of dollars could have been saved if these districts had been willing to endure a few years of either more crowded classrooms, mobile classrooms, or split shifts. New schools were a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Of course, the best solution would have been slower growth of new subdivisions. If the same subdivisions had been built over a longer period of time, the surge in number of students would have been spread out. This would have allowed schools only to need to be built for a sustainable number of students.

I see a future where Lockport decides it needs a third high school, for which it is right now seeking funds to buy the land for, and then realizes a few years later that it no longer has enough students to fill it. Many school districts may face this problem if they simply keep building schools based on future assumptions of enrollment.

Costly Art

2007-04-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

The Joliet City Council recently decided to wait on voting on purchasing additional public artwork until after the election. It seems that they do not want to vote on a pork project so close to an election. Heavens forbid their vote be fresh in the minds of voters!

I am not against public art. I am just against the $2.5 million that Joliet has paid to Friends of Community Public Art for public art and sculptures over the years. This group seems less like friends of public art and more like profiteers of public art. They do not donate public art. They do not raise funds to purchase public art. They do not try to attract artists to create free public art. They create pieces of art and then sell it to the City of Joliet. They simply see the City of Joliet as their wealthy patron and keep milking to City for their livelihoods.

There are better ways of beautifying Joliet with artworks. The city could commission local high school and JJC students to create artworks and simply pay for materials. They could hold a large contest for public sculptures and as part of the contest retain the rights to display the entries for a number of years. The city of Lawrence, Kansas took this second approach and their downtown is filled with beautiful sculptures. The cost of the prizes for the contest was far less than what Joliet spends each year on public art. The prizes were generous enough to attract nationwide entries. And of course the third option is for the City to encourage donations of and towards public art and to provide space for it, but not to fund it directly.

School Tricks

2007-04-03T09:02:00.000-06:00

In my recent item about the Herald-News' lack of coverage, I referred to schools abusing the power to issue bonds after winning a referendum. This issue finally got some coverage in the Herald-News in the past few days thanks to two guest columns concerning the upcoming Lockport Township High School (LTHS) referendum to build a new high school.

The basis of how schools borrow more than they asked for at referendum is that instead of issuing $100 million of bonds at 5% interest and getting $100 million to spend; they issue $100 million of bonds at 8% interest and get $120 million to spend. The extra $20 million is called a bonus by the company that purchases the bonds. This is not some nice gift or really even a bonus. From the buyers perspective $100 million at 8% is the same at $120 million at 5%. They are just inflating the interest rate and then paying more than the face value of the bonds. To the buyers it is just semantics. But, to the school, the difference is that they have borrowing limits imposed by state law. These bonuses do not count towards their borrowing limits. This seems highly dishonest to me.

Beyond being dishonest though, it is financially irresponsible. The borrowing limit is in place because the State of Illinois does not want local governments to be able to borrow away all the property of their citizens. When a school, city, or county borrows money, it is your property that is the collateral. The bond owner may not be able to come and take your house, but they can force the taxing body to raise taxes to pay the debt; and if you cannot pay those taxes your home can be taken by the government. A school district that issues bonds with bonuses attached is being irresponsible with the finances of its citizens. Any government that would do this is irresponsible, however so far this type of financing scheme has been limited to schools.

LTHS has publicly stated that they will be issuing bonds with bonuses if the referendum passes and they have stated that they are doing so with the purpose of getting around their borrowing limit. They also have stated that the bonds will be back loaded so that most of the cost are postponed and payments get larger in future years. Their reasoning for this is that in the future there will be more taxpayers and property values will have gone up, thereby increasing their tax revenues. This sounds a lot like the logic used by people a couple years ago when they bought homes using interest only loans. They figured that by the time the payments went up in the future, they would be making more money and their homes would be more valuable. Many of those people are now experiencing foreclosure and losing their homes. Now, our schools want to take us all down this same road or financial uncertainty and gambling on the future.

I commend LTHS for being honest about issuing debt that is back loaded and manipulating their way around their borrowing limit. But, telling someone that you are planning to rob them before grabbing their wallet does not make you any less of a thief.

Joliet Herald-News hides the news

2007-03-28T14:33:00.000-06:00

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.

City and County Finances

2007-03-21T07:40:00.000-06:00

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.

Citizen Involvement

2007-03-20T21:26:00.000-06:00

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.

Electricity

2007-03-19T06:03:00.001-06:00

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.

Rails to the Future

2007-03-19T06:03:00.000-06:00

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.

Caton Farm Road Bridge

2007-03-19T06:02:00.000-06:00

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.

Equimax

2007-03-19T06:01:00.000-06:00

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.

Introduction

2007-03-19T05:57:00.000-06:00

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.