Rockford Park District & reality: Spending cuts of $1.4 million are planned for the 2010 budget year, including administrative wage freezes and changes to health insurance that would total $955,000 in savings.

DeKalb Park District & reality: Read the rest of this entry

I could not get this site to upload images but I posted them elsewhere and I will provide links.

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I have relatives in Indiana, and I noticed street signs that have the high school colors and mascots. I took a couple of pictures. The first one is from Brownsburg, Indiana. The school color is purple and the mascot is a bulldog. Read the rest of this entry

A couple of years ago I suggested that S. 4th would look better if the community could borrow an idea from Dixon and plant flowers in those narrow parkways. Dixon’s community becomes involved in planting the petunias in the parkways, they have a Petunia Festival with a parade, and there is now a petunia wine. People do not have to mow those parkways although volunteers need to go back here and there during the summer to weed. Dixon looks great and it is a very low-cost effort to improve the appearance of the city, especially compared to TIF.

Now I think I have the perfect flower that would work–marigolds matching DeKalb Barbs orange. Read the rest of this entry

I posted the original version two years ago. Here’s the version from last year’s reunion show. They’re as fun (and sound as good) as ever. Merry Christmas!

We have a lot of southern exposure, so I built one of these today. If it works I’ll let you know. Mine is 18″x24″. It cost about $16 in materials, a couple hours and one small blister from the hot glue.

http://ward3citizensaction.blogspot.com/

That will have to do for now. I was not feeling well today and tonight seems like a good night to turn in early.

Well now.

(65 ILCS 5/8‑12‑2) (from Ch. 24, par. 8‑12‑2)
Sec. 8‑12‑2. (a) Pursuant to the authority of the General Assembly to provide for the public health, safety and welfare, the General Assembly hereby finds and declares that it is the public policy and a public purpose of the State to offer assistance to a financially distressed city so that it may provide for the health, safety and welfare of its citizens, pay when due principal and interest on its debt obligations, meet financial obligations to its employees, vendors and suppliers, and provide for proper financial accounting procedures, budgeting and taxing practices, as well as strengthen the human and economic development of the city.

OK, we’ll keep in mind a) this link’s to the Illinois Compiled Statutes site, which may not be up-to-the-minute accurate; b) the hilarity, considering the state of the State of Illinois; and c) DeKalb would be in less of a mess if it stuck to providing for the health, safety and welfare of its citizens — still, how might this apply?

(65 ILCS 5/8‑12‑3) (from Ch. 24, par. 8‑12‑3)
Sec. 8‑12‑3. As used in this Division:
(1) “Authority” means the “(Name of Financially Distressed City) Financial Advisory Authority”.
(2) “Financially distressed city” means any municipality which is a home rule unit and which (i) is certified by the Department of Revenue as being in the highest 5% of all home rule municipalities in terms of the aggregate of the rate per cent of all taxes levied pursuant to statute or ordinance upon all taxable property of the municipality and as being in the lowest 5% of all home rule municipalities in terms of per capita tax yield, and (ii) is designated by joint resolution of the General Assembly as a financially distressed city. Read the rest of this entry

Picking up the city’s slack in posting legal notices online:

NOTICE OF PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX INCREASE FOR THE CITY OF DEKALB, ILLINOIS

I. A public hearing to approve a proposed property tax levy increase for the City of DeKalb, Illinois for 2009 will be held on Monday, December 14, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois.

Any person desiring to appear at the public hearing and present testimony to the taxing district may contact Steve Kapitan, City Clerk, Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois at 815/748-2096.

II. The corporate and special purpose property taxes extended or abated for 2008 were $5,508,722.

The proposed corporate and special purpose property taxes to be levied for 2009 are $8,067,697. This represents a 46.45% increase over the previous year. Read the rest of this entry

Leave it to Crook County to have a system of do nothings wasting more tax dollars. Besides road maintenance, townships are supposed to have programs that help the poor. In Crook County, however, it looks like the politicians help themselves:
Read the rest of this entry