I’ll note additions to this post, if any, at the City Barbs Blog Facebook page.

It’s probably safe to say it’s not a coincidence in timing that DARA was conceived just a few months after the mayor first appointed his Safe/Quality Housing Task Force, and easy to see DARA’s formation at least partly as a defensive measure against the suspected return of the Rental Inspection Program agenda.

However, DARA is already more than an “anti” group. The organization is establishing Building Watch on multi-unit properties, has recently hosted a public meeting about Building Watch with DeKalb police, and is aiming to dovetail these efforts with existing Neighborhood Watch activities.

DARA has also taken upon itself the task of video recording Task Force meetings. A member tells me the recordings will be uploaded to YouTube and linked to the DARA website for easy public access.

The Safe/Quality Housing Task Force will next meet February 28 from 4-6 p.m. in the Municipal Building, council chambers.

New requirements under the proposed legislation include putting online information regarding employee compensation, bids and contracts, which are documents typically sought under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Systematic uploading of documents eliminates the need for citizens and organizations to submit FOIA requests to obtain them.

The proposed legislation would essentially codify the 10-Point Transparency Checklist for government websites developed by the Illinois Policy Institute and lauded by the Sunlight Foundation.

The new rules would apply only to local governments with websites and full-time staff to maintain them.

Supporters of the new bill are looking for additional co-sponsors. Please consider asking your state representatives to sign on to SB3392.

Consensus also says each of the three students should have gotten three minutes to comment.

Some village officials have been indicted. The mayor hasn’t been charged with anything, though his home was raided last month:

McCallum said [after the raid in January] federal agents told him they were looking for documents related to tax increment financing.

Agents took boxes and several safes from the McCallum home and the Village Hall. The agents searched outside the home where a boat was parked under a carport, inside a garage where a silver Hummer was parked, and inside a white truck that was parked on the lot and all around the house.

The publication hasn’t shared what McCallum’s day job is. He resigned from office Monday over being too busy to do the mayor’s job anymore.

By the way, Mayor McCallum tendered his resignation publicly, to the Alorton Village Board. That’s more consideration than what we’ve been getting lately.

Tiny Alorton apparently does have a TIF, though its administrator doesn’t seem to be submitting annual reports to the Illinois Comptroller.

Maybe that was the start of the trouble?

Anyway, it’s always good to see the Feds venture out of Chicago sometimes.

You’ve seen most of this table before. I’ve updated it with FY2011 data from the new Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).

Most of the overlapping increase came from DeKalb Community Unit School District 428.

Mind you, these figures reflect only gross bonded debt. The total per capita city debt burden for DeKalb residents, for example, was $929.28 as of June 30, 2011.

Gross bonded debt gets special attention because repayment is guaranteed by property taxes. If a governmental unit does not have enough money to make the payments, property taxes get raised as required to meet them.

DeKalb is unusual, in that it does not use property taxes to service its debt. All property taxes collected by the city go to pensions and FICA, and General Fund revenues go to debt service. Most General Fund revenues come from sales taxes.

The 2009 report from the city’s financial consultants recommended a shift to funding debt service with property taxes because they are normally a more stable revenue source than sales taxes.

Sources:

2009 financial consultants’ (EPI) report and Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) from the City of DeKalb Downloads page.

In confronting the continued growth of what was already at the time an unfunded liability of nearly $30 million, the city council discussed the options in joint meetings with its financial advisory committee. One of the things that came out in these discussions was that the city is making contributions for all its retirees, not just those with whom it had a contractual obligation to do so. Even retirees from the DeKalb Public Library can participate.

I had gotten the impression during those discussions that DeKalb had included all retirees in the OPEB for generations.

I was wrong.

Sources:

May 2009 EPI Report and Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports from the City of DeKalb Downloads page

Apparently, then, there must be some sort of requirement (State of Illinois?) for the city clerk to sign and to cause to be affixed to the document the Seal of the City of DeKalb, whether or not such a requirement appears in Chapter 38 or not.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.

A. In addition to any and all other requirements set forth in this Chapter, an applicant for a Class A-[Central Business District] license shall be required to submit to the City an Application for Development Agreement, as defined herein, accompanied by a non-refundable Development Application fee of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). The Development Agreement shall be memorialized in writing and, if approved by the City Council, shall be submitted to the Liquor Commissioner for his review, approval and the issuance of the Class A-CBD liquor license, in the exercise of his discretion as Liquor Commissioner.

Key: IF the development agreement is approved by city council, THEN the license may be approved by the liquor commissioner.

Did you know there was provision for a “conditional” license in Chapter 38 of the Municipal Code that changes the order of the licensing process? Me neither, and I delved fairly deeply into liquor licensing for an earlier post on the subject. In fact, if there is such a thing I need somebody to point me to chapter and verse because I can’t find it.

And that’s just for starters.

If you read the earlier, highly fortuitous post [wink], you understand the basic steps, set by ordinance, for obtaining a liquor license in DeKalb:

1. Applicant turns in application with other required documentation and fees.

2. Chief of police investigates and makes a report.

3. Liquor commission reviews the application and report, and issues a recommendation.

4. Liquor commissioner makes a final decision to grant the license, and directs the city clerk to issue it.

Oops, that last part is wrong. And by the way, it’s also very weird. I have not been able to find any community, Home Rule or not, where the municipal clerk isn’t the officer issuing the liquor licenses. However, Section 38.10 says our clerk at least gets notified:

The Liquor Commissioner shall keep a complete record of all licenses issued by him; and shall furnish the City Clerk, Finance Director/Treasurer, and Chief of Police each with a copy thereof. Upon the issuance of any new license, or the revocation of any old license, the Liquor Commissioner shall give written notice of such action to each of these officers within 48 hours of such action.

Also:

38.04-1 INVESTIGATION OF LICENSE APPLICANT…No license shall be issued or reissued until such report has been completed and filed with the Liquor Commissioner.

So, here are the questions:

– Where in Chapter 38 is there provision for a “conditional” liquor license?

– Does it say “conditional license” on the license?

– What other establishments have obtained “conditional licenses” in, say, the past five years?

– When was the application made, and when was the license issued?

– Was an investigative report completed and filed?

– Has the Liquor Commission looked at this application and made a recommendation?

– Did the city clerk receive a copy of the license within the deadline?

I submitted a FOIA request this morning to help answer some of these questions.

As for the city council putting its seal of approval on the process via the development agreement, I think this body must first determine if “conditional” means that state and local laws were followed or not, and if not what the legal implications might be.

If your inner entrepreneur is telling you that bar ownership in DeKalb is worthy of some capital, here are a few things you need to know about obtaining a liquor license for your business. (Keep in mind, these tips are no substitute for professional legal counsel.)

Bona fide sale. Bona fide sale shall mean a sale of a liquor business for real value where the sale includes the purchase of fixtures, equipment, good will or the like. Such sale shall not include the liquor license.

Even in buying an existing business, then, you must start from scratch with the liquor license application. Licenses are not transferable.

A significant and potentially time-consuming part of the process is to ensure you are not a crook [insert joke here about limiting competition -- bah-dum-bum!] and that you have the money to prove it.

Applications for a retail liquor dealer’s license shall be made to the Liquor Commissioner in writing; signed by the applicant, if an individual or by a partner, if a partnership, or by a duly authorized agent thereof, of a club, corporation or limited liability company, verified by oath or affidavit. Applications shall be accompanied with a non-refundable application fee of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) plus a fingerprint fee of Sixty Two Dollars ($62.00) for each individual, partner, manager or corporation stockholder owning in the aggregate more than five percent (5%) of the stock or a member of a limited liability company holding in an aggregate more than a five percent (5%) interest in the company.

I’ve heard the police chief say at council meetings that the background check takes about 30 days. Add to that the time required to complete the investigative report.

The application for an initial liquor license shall be forwarded to the Chief of Police. It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police to cause an investigation of such applicant and to issue a written report to the Liquor Commissioner, as to the applicant’s character, within sixty (60) days, when practicable. No license shall be issued or reissued until such report has been completed and filed with the Liquor Commissioner.

Once the investigative report is finished, the liquor commission takes a look at everything.

d) The Commission shall have and exercise the following duties and powers:
1. To review applications and the investigation of applicants for liquor licenses and to submit findings and recommendation to the local Liquor Commissioner setting forth its conclusions regarding such applications.

The commission gives its recommendation and the liquor commissioner rules on whether to grant the license. If the license is granted, the commissioner directs the city clerk to issue the license.

The liquor commission normally meets monthly, bringing the process potentially to about three months in length even if you encounter no snags.

The point is, start early! Don’t wait until you are ready to order the booze to submit your application!

Cheers and good luck!