City of DeKalb’s 2011 economic development marketing materials: DeKalb’s proximity to major markets and the community’s cultural and educational opportunities are primary reasons why the City is steadily growing. In January 2004, and again in October 2007, the U.S Census Bureau conducted a special census. The census determined that the DeKalb had grown from 39,018…
Tag: budget
Aren’t DeKalb’s Finances Recovering Nicely?
What a lovely surprise. I can’t wait! I can’t wait for the rollbacks to begin of the tax and fee hikes our city council has approved since 2008 to keep afloat. Shall we start with the property tax, sales tax, restaurant and bar tax, hotel-motel tax, utility tax or the first gas tax hike? When…
The Vehicle Maintenance & Acquisition Fund That Isn’t
In “Council in the Twilight Zone,” I lauded 7th Ward Alderman Monica O’Leary for questioning this part of the July 11 meeting agenda: 2) APPROVAL OF A RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PURCHASE TWO NEW SQUAD CARS THROUGH THE STATE PURCHASING PROGRAM. The Police Department was awarded a Grant through the Illinois Criminal…
A Retelling of DeKalb’s Reduction in Force Story
This ties together a half-dozen posts delivered over four months. It also better separates the facts from the adventures in obtaining them. How the RIF Played Out Publicly In February 2010, staff reported during a special meeting that DeKalb was facing budgetary shortfalls totaling more than $5 million by the end of FY2011. They attributed…
More on Corn Fest & Parking Fees
Here’s a piece of an e-mail from an FAA official to the City of DeKalb about FAA requirements for holding Corn Fest at the airport, which DeKalb County Online got hold of in May: Of particular importance is the amount of money received by the airport from the event. This MUST be some form of…
Council in the Twilight Zone
Better late than never? Here are a few comments on the City of DeKalb meetings Monday night. Group Therapy When I switched on the Committee of the Whole meeting (admittedly not right at the beginning) there was an immediate feeling of disorientation. The mayor was complaining about a constituent taking up too much of his…
FY2012 Raises
In today’s “Our view: Give DeKalb staff its raises,” the Daily Chronicle argues on behalf of cost-of-living adjustments for management staff. Let’s respond to the reasoning for its vigorous advocacy on behalf of Biernacki & Co.
EPI and Compensation
The Strategic Financial Evaluation Report by Executive Partners, Inc., known for short as the EPI report, was issued in May 2009. The consultants were called in because DeKalb had found itself in serious financial trouble beginning in late 2007. The city tends to blame the economy, and it is true that the crash of the…
DeKalb’s Structural Budget Issue
Alderman Teresinski cautions us every year that we need to address DeKalb’s “structural” budget issues. Here’s one. [table id=18 /] Do you remember how many employees DeKalb got rid of last year? If memory serves, it was 34 full-timers, for a savings somewhere between $3-4 million. But from the budget figures, you can’t tell they’re…
Raises for Management?
The General Fund may look OK at the moment, but there are deficits in other funds, some of them deep (Workers Comp). We also have at least three other lawsuits going (airport, airport, monster truck) and a state that is late and that may still prove even more unreliable. Utility tax revenues continue their decline,…