Déjà vu. DeKalb County Board is considering placing a proposed sales tax increase on the ballot next spring, for…an improved jail. “What I plan to do is on the county board meeting on Dec. 17 is to review where we’re at with the jail expansion and some options for where we might go, one of…
Half of DeKalb is Doing Well Enough to Compare to Others
The agenda for last night’s joint meeting between DeKalb city council members and the city’s Finance (sic) Advisory Committee included a list of 14 communities besides DeKalb and their “comparable economic data.” The argument seems to be that DeKalb taxpayers can afford to pay more in property taxes than the “bargain” they are currently getting…
Sifting Out What’s Important to the Property Tax-Pension Funding Discussion
DeKalb city staff have come up with a proposal to raise the city’s property tax levy by 10%. Daily Chronicle reports that the council gave initial approval on Monday. Here’s how the city is presenting the recommendation: City staff want to move away from the current practice of using the general fund to pay for…
NIU Must Think We Have Enough Info on College Town Partners Already
The latest in the College Town Partners saga is that NIU has apparently changed its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) policy. It now favors heavy redaction. The following is NIU’s response this week to a FOIA request made by Misty Haji-Sheikh of the north Fifth Ward group called Preserve Our Neighborhoods. Click on the Twitter…
City of DeKalb is Not the Authority on Whether We Elect a Clerk in the Spring
Were you confused that DeKalb city clerk Liz Peerboom seemed to have resigned from office last Friday, but now the city is still awaiting her resignation? Me too. Fortunately I’ve been diving into the Illinois Municipal Code as time has allowed. The answer is that the resignation is not official unless it’s signed and notarized.…
Corn Fest Financials through 2012
DeKalb Corn Fest’s Form 990 for 2012 is available, so we can check out Corn Fest’s final year at the airport. There was a major drop in expenses over 2011. Good thing, too. The revenue for 2012 is the lowest in that column, which is particularly shocking in view of Corn Fest’s takeover of the…
Comment on City of DeKalb’s New Trend of Creating Homelessness
I hardly know where to begin. In response to a tenant complaint, at 10 a.m. Friday, city inspectors met building owner Pat Bragg at the Edgebrook Manor Apartments and within hours they had decided to condemn the property, requiring everyone living there to leave their homes within 24 hours. A few years ago, a friend…
“Conversation with an Engineer” by Strong Towns
The following is a production of StrongTowns.org. Advisory: Note: Strong Towns is not responsible for any mental duress resulting from repeated watching of this video. We are also not responsible for angry reactions from planners and engineers confronted with the illogic of their world view. If watching as part of a group, we recommend having…
Documents: College Town Partners NFP
For all of NIU’s having publicly “backed away” from a partnership for redevelopment with City of DeKalb et al last spring, it seems the institution had already secretly created a “charity” with a local developer and a banker in December 2013 for similar purposes. The documents were Tweeted to me. @citybarb60115 @DC_Editor yes they are,…
Some of DeKalb’s Street Funding Woes Arise from Desire for Buildings and an IDOT Audit
The numbers are the amounts budgeted for streets combining two line items, Street Maintenance/Repairs (8632) and Street Construction/Reconstruction (8633). It does not include alleys or permanent street improvements (e.g., Taylor Street widening). Keep in mind, what’s budgeted may not always reflect what’s spent, either. [table id=84 /] Observations: The Motor Fuel Tax Fund is taking…