Archive for February, 2010

More Water Games

Author: yinn

Feb 11

Minutes of the January 12 special joint meeting of City Council and Financial Advisory Committee yielded this:

Mr. Espiritu discussed the fund balances along with suggestions to make them sustainable. He recommended that the General Fund build up a 25% fund balance with the City setting aside 5% per year over a 5-year period. Also, the Water Fund should attain a 25% balance with rate raises over a four-year period.

The Water Division has an FY 2010 budget of $4.8 million (PDF pp. 95-97), which incidentally matches up pretty well to the projected water sales revenues. However, it costs only $2.8 million to operate the Water Division. Where does the other $2 million go? Read the rest of this entry

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Advice & Consent

Author: yinn

Feb 10

From Chapter 2 of the DeKalb Municipal Code (PDF p. 2):

a) Pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 (f) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois (1970) and a Referendum Election held pursuant to Illinois Compiled Statutes, (65 ILCS 5/28-4), when vacancies in the office of alderman are occasioned by reason of resignation, failure to elect or qualify, death, permanent physical or mental disability, conviction of a disqualifying crime, abandonment of office or removal from office or of residency from ward, the City Council shall call a special election to fill said vacancy if at the occurrence of said vacancy, the unexpired term was more than eighteen (18) months in length; and if the unexpired term is eighteen (18) months or less in length, the Mayor may, with the advice and consent of the City Council, appoint a person to serve as alderman in the vacancy until the next general election.

By contacting the remaining aldermen to build a pre-meeting consensus, the mayor cheated us out of hearing and responding to the advice of Council members in the matter of the Third Ward aldermanic appointment. He is set to do so again in the case of the newly-vacated Seventh Ward. Read the rest of this entry

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Streetscape Subcontractors 2009

Author: yinn

Feb 9

It has come to my attention that folks are asking whether former alderman Victor Wogen, as himself or as Masonry Works, LLC, landed city projects beyond the six post-demolition masonry repair projects of 2008. The answer is yes. In the fall of 2008, the 2009 “streetscape” project was approved, with Elliott & Wood as the contractor. Then-acting mayor Kris Povlsen and then-city clerk Donna Johnson signed the Acceptance of Proposal on September 24, 2008, which authorized payments for the work specified in the proposal. On the accompanying Material Sources and/or Sub-Contracted Work Form are listed the following:

Cast-in-Place Concrete………………DeKalb Walker Construction
Pre-cast Concrete………………………Masonry Works
Electrical……………………………………..Virgil Cook & Son
Water/Storm/Sanitary Utilities…..Elliott & Wood
Concrete Paving………………………..DeKalb Walker Construction
Unit Paving………………………………..Midwest Brick Paving, Inc.
Landscape…………………………………Dreamscapes by Dennis

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AG to Investigate Allegations of Open Meetings Act Violations

Author: yinn

Feb 8

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Filed under: Council/City Watch

Norovirus

Author: yinn

Feb 5

Norovirus is going around. Q&A here.

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Filed under: Community Resources

Post-Election Open Thread

Author: yinn

Feb 3

For election judges at the NIU Rec Center, here’s how Election Day played out yesterday:

From 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., 856 people came in to use the Campus Recreation Center. In the same amount of time, 2 people came to vote. By 6 p.m., the total was up to 3 voters and one more person was preparing to be the fourth voter of the night.

The Rec center was the polling place for the DeKalb precincts 2, 7, 9 and 12, the precincts for students who live in the Douglas, Lincoln, Grant and Stevenson Residence Halls. Students who are registered to vote at their home address rather than in the precincts of the residence halls were not able to vote at the Rec Center on Tuesday.

Other students were simply not aware there was an election.

Guess whose precinct had to deliver a ballot box that didn’t rattle at all? Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: Local Campaigns, National Campaigns, Political Campaigns, State Campaigns | Tagged as:

Dear Bad Politicians

Author: Kay Shelton

Feb 1

Dear Bad Politicians, the State of Illinois called. She is changing the locks on February 2.

“I spent so many nights
thinking how you did me wrong.”

“Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
’cause you’re not welcome anymore.”


Message for Bad Politicians

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Filed under: Local Campaigns, National Campaigns, Political Campaigns, Snark/Humor, State Campaigns
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