The State of Illinois Comptroller’s Office has begun posting annual Tax Increment Financing (TIF) reports from FY2010 on. Go here and click on “View Submitted TIF Reports.” You’ll find the City of DeKalb’s FY2010 report there so far. FY2011 should be along soon.
Statement of Non-Retraction of District 428 Utilities Post
A certain person has suggested I “correct” my posting called Sampling of Electric Bills, Old DHS and New, on the grounds that I got it wrong about why District 428 can’t pay its bills. On the contrary, no correction is needed. Due to the small sample size and obvious adjustments made to one of the…
Winnebago Forest Preserve a “Good Ol’ Boys’ Club”?
Chuck Sweeney of the Rockford Register Star is beginning to feel sorry he ever supported an elected Forest Preserve Board for Winnebago County. First thing out of the box, [county employee and Forest Preserve Board Chair Randy] Olson supported pouring tax money into fixing up golf courses to the tune of $1.4 million. They’d always…
Comment on the Approval of the Library Expansion
People are starting to ask me why I’m against the DeKalb Public Library expansion. I’m not against AN expansion of DPL. I’m against THIS expansion because I disapprove of secrecy, corrupted processes and the lack of proper public participation. I’m against letting the current library board, a group of proven lawbreakers, run the show. Pick…
DeKalb’s Pension Rebound & Tax Games
This is a belated response to a November 12 story in the Daily Chronicle, “Police, fire pensions reportedly on rebound”. Instead of posting here at the time, I sent a letter to the editor. Three days later I still haven’t heard back. The article makes it clear the City of DeKalb Finance Division knew all…
Addressing Media Coverage of the DeKalb’s Latest “Surplus”
The Daily Chronicle is irritating me this week. DeKALB – It wasn’t long ago that DeKalb had only a $22,000 surplus in the general fund. Now, with the Fiscal Year 2011 audit almost complete, city officials say they are looking at a $6.3 million surplus. The DeKalb City Council on Monday will be asked to…
Political What?
This morning I read Daily Chronicle Editor Jason Schaumburg’s weekend column. He supports term limits to fix what ails our governments. The line of reasoning goes like this: Term limits would curtail the influence of money and lobbyists in government. They would attract the right kind of candidate to seek office. If money and greed…
Sampling of Electric Bills, Old DHS and New
This is a comparison of two months’ worth of electric bills for the old DeKalb High School on South Fourth Street, which is now Huntley Middle School, and the new DHS on Dresser Road. [table id=44 /] No, the figures for the June charges and balance due for the new DHS were not accidentally transposed!…
Depending on City Officials for Truth about Legality of Library Expansion? Please.
It was a toss-up whether to focus on DeKalb Public Library’s ongoing coyness about its expansion plans, or the role of local media in covering for it. How about a bit of both. Today’s WTF moment is brought to you by the Daily Chronicle in “DeKalb officials expand on library land process, say everything appears…
Time to Occupy U.S. Cellular Field and that New Restaurant Across from It
Holy crikey sheesh. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the government agency that built and owns The Cell, paid $3.2 million for construction of the restaurant plus just about everything inside the place, from walk-in refrigerators to bar stools, the Tribune and WGN-TV found in a joint investigation. Another $3.7 million from the agency went for…