MDDP

The Morris Downtown Development Partnership is advertising an opening for a new executive director. This organization is funded primarily from tax dollars from the city of Morris. It's budget is spent largely on administrative expenses, including the director's salary. This is an ideal time to reconsider the usefulness of the MDDP, and whether continuing to fund this organization is the best use for our tax dollars.

City of Morris jeopardizes 20 union jobs

A company called Houston Roof Curbs and Sheet Metal wants to relocate its business to Morris. (Mike Farrell misspells the company name as Huston)

According to a Morris Daily Herald article, the company recently appeared before the Morris Development Review Committee seeking approval to construct a new metal building on Spruce Street behind Third avenue along the railroad tracks, on property properly zoned for manufacturing.

Houston would employ 20 union sheet metal workers at its proposed Morris facility.

You would think that Morris would welcome 20 new union jobs with open arms - maybe even offer incentives to lure them to our community. Instead, the city has subjected this company to the costly and useless process of begging for approval from the city's "Development Review Committee."

The Development Review Committee missed the opportunity to approve this proposal because "the M-1 ordinance requires new buildings to be constructed of brick or masonry" but the company budget only allows construction of a metal building.

Additionally, "several members of the Development Review Committee said they would like to see different colors and features of the exterior walls."

This is the same committee that dictated to Menards what sort of flowers should be planted at the new Morris store. Prospective developers of all sizes are required to pay the city $3,000 for the privilege of being subjected to this sort of spurious drivel from the committee.

Let's hope that it is not too late, and this company doesn't decide to instead move to Coal City, Seneca, or some other locality that does not subject prospective employers to the whims of this improvident and destructive committee.



Web site for Houston Roof Curbs and Sheet Metal, Inc.

Joliet Herald article

Free Ride?

Some questions that I would like my alderman to ask at the next Morris City Council meeting:

Is the tenant operating the Morris Airport restaurant current with the rent? If the rent is not current, how far behind is it?

If the rent is current by the time of the meeting, when was it paid and in what amounts?

The city took a heavy-handed approach in evicting the previous tenant. Does a different standard apply to the current tenant?