City Looks to Borrow $24,000,000

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

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.

Looking to the Future

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

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

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.

Efforts to Save Stateville

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

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

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

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

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.

TIF District Follow-Up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.  

Why Must We Feud?

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

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.

A New Tax and Lack of Citizen Involvement

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.