A new police station on Route 38 is in the works, and a proposed expansion of the DeKalb Public Library would involve closing a portion of North Third Street. Clearly, each of these projects/proposals if built would impact traffic patterns at their respective locations. Mac McIntyre brought up the need for a traffic study at…
Well. Finally.
The DeKalb City Council is getting close to approving a DeKalb-Taylor Municipal Airport (DTMA) Marketing Plan. (See here, starting on p. 5.) The proposal is a concise and informative 15 pages. I found the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) more direct and insightful than I think we would have gotten in-house, so maybe…
Another Way to Abuse TIF
Greg Hinz of Crains/Chicago Business.com has summarized the Chicago Inspector General’s investigation into a Daley administration practice requiring TIF recipients to donate some of the money to specific not-for-profits, most often one run by Mrs. Daley called After School Matters. Of the 27 grant agreements signed between 1985 and 2009 that directed cash contributions to…
City of DeKalb Maximum Comp Time Accumulations, Payouts & More
[table id=37 /] Yes, that’s correct: on Planet CityofDeKalb, some employees get to accumulate comp time for years and years. And, yes: for management employees, the maximum payout is 60 DAYS.
City is Advertising a Lawn Care Company on Public Property
Here is the southwest corner of Route 38 and Seventh Street, a high-traffic area where the city bought up Ralph’s place and demolished it with TIF money in the name of economic development. I’ll bet we’ve spent more than $150,000 on this property and all we’ve got to show for it is an overgrown, overpriced…
Latest FDIC Orders Include Bank in Shabbona
Farmers’ and Traders’ State Bank in Shabbona recently agreed to accept a Consent Order from the FDIC. FDIC issued the order one month ago and made it public yesterday, as is its usual procedure. Yesterday also a bank in Plano, Texas, became the 74th bank to close in the U.S. in 2011. Bank failures peaked…
DeKalb Sick Leave Maximum Accumulations & Payouts
Continuing what I started yesterday: [table id=39 /]
Dare to Compare: Vacation Time Payouts
Chicago City Council proposes reduction of vacation time payouts: As it now stands, departing longtime employees can get paid for up to 75 vacation days they did not take while working for the city. Under Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan, the number would decrease to 30 at the start of 2013. […] The changes are in…
A Closer Look at DeKalb Per Capita Debt
This table was part of Friday’s long post, but deserves some attention of its own. [table id=34 /] You can find the breakdown of the FY2010 overlapping debt in this document, on p. 153. FY2010 ended June 30, 2010. Let’s look at some of the GO bond issues since that date: DeKalb County: $16,000,000, 10/14/2010…
Lewis Black is Coming to DeKalb
Rated PG-13 for language. The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook He’ll appear at the Egyptian Theatre October 6.