It was nice to see the [Shelby County Board’s] discussions on numerous matters including not paying certain invoices which had no public purpose. The committee pulled those bills and took it upon themselves to reimburse the source of the invoice from their own pocket to the person who submitted them. They did so because that…
Category: Goo-goo Files
DeKalb Township is getting things done
With the election shenanigans and rough start of the new township board last year, I didn’t expect much from this public body at first. But eight months into it and they deserve credit for pro-public policies and practices. Meetings This week, for example, the board reversed an earlier decision to remove agenda background material from…
The Hooplah in Elmhurst
Sometimes it helps perspective to check out what other communities are doing. DeKalb’s not the only municipality with code enforcement that sometimes looks inconsistent or arbitrary. I’ve been following such a story in Elmhurst for more than a year. A documentary about the Elmhurst controversy is titled “Hooplah” and residents have adopted the same name…
Story of Dixon sparks ideas for preventing fraud and building trust in city government
Last night I went to the Egyptian Theatre to watch “All the Queen’s Horses,” the documentary of Rita Crundwell’s embezzlement of more than $53 million from City of Dixon when she was treasurer-comptroller there. I won’t spoil the film, because even a person who followed Crundwell’s arrest and the aftermath quite closely is bound to…
DeKalb’s credibility is suddenly becoming visible to the naked eye
“Folks, we blew it,” said the mayor. Mayor Jerry Smith recalled his previous State of the City assertion that DeKalb must “acknowledge our shortcomings and our mistakes” last night, when he brought up DeKalb’s violation of the Open Meetings Act of last Friday. “We blew it” is what he told the staff members involved, he…
Video of today’s meeting for 4th and 6th wards
The council members held it at the DeKalb Township building, and about 20 people from the 4th, 5th, and 6th wards attended. The last time I can remember going to a meeting in my ward was 2005, so this was a pretty big deal to me. They didn’t disappoint. I’ve posted it at the City…
More Reasons to Put the Brakes on the STEAM Center Project
Several of DeKalb’s city council members balked at making financial or other commitments to the STEAM center project until they have in hand a thorough analysis of its most important source of funding, the soon-to-be-retired Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts. Even the most worthy projects are subject to resource limitations, so a peek into the…
An Important Amendment to the Open Meetings Act
I knew the General Assembly was debating the bill last year, but missed the August passage of Public Act 099-0402, which amends an important provision of the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA). (5 ILCS 120/3.5) Sec. 3.5. Public Access Counselor; opinions. (a) A person who believes that a violation of this Act by a public…
New Illinois Law for Local Gov Audits Is Doing the Trick
Here’s a new state law we can all get behind: Public Act 098-0738, which requires certain disclosures pertaining to city and county audits. Introduced by Rep. Tom Demmer, the law went into effect this month. Here’s another version with the deets. Of particular interest to me is the now-required sharing of the auditors’ letters to…
DeKalb’s Freakishly High Sales Tax Rate Might Actually be Good for Something
**Update** 1/26. Related: “Sales tax coffers could get boost with new law”. Discusses the Marketplace Fairness Act and its impact (if it ever passes the U.S. House) on state revenues. **Update** 1 p.m. Related: “Now comes the Internet Sales Consultants”. It provides more food for thought on this scheme, as well as a description of…