***UPDATE 7/6/22*** Housing authority has released the complaints as the PAC requested. They’re the same as the ones I obtained from an alternative source, except the authority has redacted personal information from them. I’ve placed the file in the FB group, here. In January 2022, on a tip, I sent a Freedom of Information Act…
Determination: DeKalb must release locations of license plate readers
The Public Access Counselor of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office has determined that City of DeKalb improperly denied a Freedom of Information Act request for the locations of its license plate reader cameras (LPRs). DeKalb fought release of the information beyond all reason. This post examines three ways the city embarrassed itself doing it. The…
Determination: housing authority must release complaint against its employee
The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) has informed the local housing authority that it must release a sexual harassment complaint against one of its employees. Last winter, it came to my attention that a sexual harassment complaint against an employee of the Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) had been sent…
The depot’s place in a comprehensive development plan
During DeKalb’s last Planning & Zoning Committee (P&Z) meeting, a member of the public asked whether Union Pacific Railroad intended to sell its old train depot. The reply: City Manager Nicklas responded he has had several conversations regarding the rumor of Union Pacific selling the depot, however as far as he knows they are not…
Children as city revenue sources
Schools in Illinois are not allowed to “ticket” children for misbehavior. So they have the police do it, according to a new series of articles by Pro Publica and Chicago Tribune. A boy named Kameron, who had shoved his friend over a Lipton peach iced tea in the school cafeteria, had been cited for violating…
Series: DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center Spotlight
I’m gathering the DCRNC posts into one place chronologically (just as I’ve done for the housing authority posts). The DCRNC series began November 2021 as a way to explain development of the county home’s financial crisis. It has since evolved into coverage of the debate and decisions that will determine its future. I’ve also created…
Housing authority sends termination notice over alleged unreported income
This continues the story of Robert S. The Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) wanted Mr. S to sign a repayment agreement, saying Mr. S had failed to report a change in income. Mr. S has not signed the agreement, so HACD has sent him a notice of termination from the Housing Choice…
Serious issues evident in the housing authority’s procedures for debt collection
Robert S. says he received the paperwork below from the Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) last month. It’s a repayment agreement for money HACD is claiming he owes them. Redaction is mine. Mr. S told me he can’t sign the agreement because it’s a lie — that he doesn’t owe HACD the…
County board votes to list DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center for sale — but that’s not all
DeKalb County Board voted last night to authorize the marketing of DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center (DCRNC) for sale. Here’s the original resolution. Resolution R2022-40: A Resolution Authorizing the Sale, Transfer, orother Disposition of the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center in Accordance with 55 ILCS 5-21001 of the Illinois Counties Code. The DeKalb…
DeKalb County’s presiding officer can remove housing authority commissioners
County board members have been hearing from residents for the better part of a year about the Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb’s chronic refusal to follow the rules. The board must be tired of the complaints, because last week during their committee-of-the-whole meeting, they explained there’s not much they can do outside of…