There’s a special meeting of the DeKalb city council on Wednesday, September 19, concerning the Safe/Quality Housing Task Force vs. city staff recommendations. Last time, staff made its case while everybody else listened. This time there’s a public hearing. The items under consideration are as follows: 1. SAFE AND QUALITY HOUSING ISSUES a. Crime-free Lease…
Category: Payment Due?
The “Coffee Fund” and NIU’s Curious Behavior
Thank you, Daily Chronicle, for revealing that there indeed is more to the Northern Illinois University Finance & Facilities/Convo shakeup than just a couple of dudes simultaneously deciding they were ready to move on. DeKALB – Separation agreements for two former Northern Illinois University administrators show they were paid tens of thousands of dollars and…
More “Coffee Fund” Stuff
AP has picked up the “NIU Coffee Fund” story from the Daily Chronicle, so it’s all over the state now. Choose your favorite search engine to see for yourself. Glad as I am to see something hit daylight, though, there’s the feeling we’re being thrown a bone. I’ve pointed out previously that chasing it has…
Read the Rosemont Story if You Can
Today the Chicago-Tribune published an investigative report about Rosemont and the family that runs it. It’s a story about how the Stephens family has amassed riches and tremendous political clout. Most of all, however, it is a story about Home Rule. Illinois Home Rule allows: unlimited borrowing the option to forgo competitive bidding on contracts…
NIU Employees’ $13,000 “Coffee Fund”
Congratulations to the Daily Chronicle for digging up this story. Bill Kunkel, head of transportation for DeKalb Iron and Metal Company in DeKalb, said that for years he’s been writing checks to what’s called the “coffee fund,” an account NIU spokesman Paul Palian said university officials weren’t aware existed. Kunkel said several employees, mainly from…
Rockford Rejects Collection of Fee for Electrical Aggregation
Rockford Register Star asked the question: When it comes to municipal electrical aggregation, what’s in it for the city? City brokers deal with other municipalities, lands nearly $20 million in savings for area customers, hands over thousands of accounts and gets nothing in return? Rockford’s Central Services Manager Carrie Eklund says that’s exactly what the…
City Payments to Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins
DeKalb city manager Mark Biernacki entered into a contract agreement last fall with the firm Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, using his ordinance-given spending authority (PDF p. 55). A professional services contract had been entered into by the City Manager, on behalf of the City Council, with the firm Klein, Thorpe, and Jenkins to conduct research…
DeKalb’s TIF District 2
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District 2 is described in city budget narratives as running south of the downtown but north of Taylor Street. Annual TIF 2 expenditures generally include: $250-300,000 in economic incentives to Target rehab, repairs and/or improvements to Barb City Manor and the Municipal Building about $150,000 in transfers to the General Fund…
DeKalb’s Airport as a Grant Funding Priority
Was the Daley Policy Group initially hired just to get money for the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport, or are airport grants simply the low-hanging fruit in DC? Over the past 20 years: At least 20 separate airport projects were funded, compared to seven non-airport-related projects $28.6 million, which is 68% of the total grant/earmark dollars,…
DeKalb’s Pension Funding Progress
The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) includes a table called “Schedule of Funding Progress” for each pension fund that the city is responsible for. An actuary determines the fund assets and liability, and from these are calculated the percentage that the fund is funded as well as the unfunded liability in dollars. I’ve pulled numbers…