Sledgehammer Morris

Shopping for a Better Garbage Deal

2010-03-14T15:05:00.000-05:00

The Morris City Council is expected to approve a monthly charge for garbage pickup from Allied Waste. But if you chose not to use the city garbage service, you cannot be forced to pay the monthly charge.

Non-home rule communities such as Morris have only those powers specifically granted to them by the Illinois legislature. The legislature has granted municipalities that provide garbage pickup service the authority to assess a "service charges to be collected from persons, firms and corporations receiving service." (65 ILCS 5/11-19‑4).

"Under the aforementioned Illinois statute, such garbage service charges can be imposed only upon persons, firms or corporations "receiving service."

This was the opinion of the Illinois Supreme Court in the case of Montgomery v. City of Galva, where the court declared invalid a city ordinance assessing a garbage pickup charge for residents that was combined with their water bills, even for residents who did not use the garbage service. In addition, the Supreme Court enjoined the city from shutting off residents' water supply for nonpayment of the garbage collection charges by persons not receiving garbage collection and disposal services.

Morris School Superintendent salaries and benefits

2009-11-23T17:37:00.005-06:00

From November 19, 2009 Joliet Herald News:

The salary your school superintendent earns is just a part of his or her total compensation. Annuities and other allowances can add thousands of dollars on top of each school chief's base pay.

The Herald-News filed Freedom of Information Act requests with area schools in order to gain a clearer picture of how taxpayer money is being used to pay superintendents. Use the drop-down menu below to find how much your school district paid its leader during the 2008-09 school year.

School District Morris High
Superintendent Pat Halloran
Number of Students 1013
Base Pay $120,000
Retirement Contribution $19,529.59
Paid for Unused Vacation Days $0
Life Insurance $247
Board Paid Medical Dental Vision $31,863.24
Annuity $2,400
Travel Stipend or Mileage $1,724.31
Tuition Reimbursement $0
Personal Days 2
Disability Policy $21.58
Bonus $0
Meeting Stipend $0
Other Compensation $0
Total Compensation $175,786

School District Morris Grade
Superintendent Teri Shaw (administrator)
Number of Students 1,350
Base Pay $65,000
Retirement Contribution $0
Paid for Unused Vacation Days $0
Life Insurance $138
Board Paid Medical Dental Vision $14,007
Annuity $0
Travel Stipend or Mileage $1,867
Tuition Reimbursement $20,167
Personal Days 3
Disability Policy $0
Bonus $0
Meeting Stipend $0
Other Compensation $0
Total Compensation $101,179

School District Morris Grade
Superintendent Dennis Broniecki (interim)
Number of Students 1,350
Base Pay $70,000
Retirement Contribution $0
Paid for Unused Vacation Days $0
Life Insurance $0
Board Paid Medical Dental Vision $0
Annuity $0
Travel Stipend or Mileage $4,635
Tuition Reimbursement $0
Personal Days 0
Disability Policy $0
Bonus $0
Meeting Stipend $0
Other Compensation $0
Total Compensation $74,635

Read the complete article and look up other superintendents

Bruce forced out?

2009-11-09T19:12:00.003-06:00

When Cliff Corbet "retired" as CEO of Morris Hospital, it was rumored that he was forced out by a heavy-handed and micro-managing board chair. Now it appears that William Bruce, the new CEO is involuntarily departing. Is this more handiwork from a board chair with a God complex? Instead of musical-chair CEOs, maybe it is time for a new chairman of the board.

Update: The Morris Daily Herald has finally gotten around to mentioning this, though their coverage is limited to repeating information from the Morris Hospital press release. Here is the article.

City's Landfill Follies Come Home to Roost

2009-06-20T19:45:00.002-05:00

http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2009/06/19/53865706/index.xml

Grundy County Board chairman muscles neighbor

2009-04-19T20:27:00.013-05:00

County board chairman Frank Halpin recently made an appearance in the Illinois Supreme Court. Development of a new subdivision near his farm in South Wilmington disrupted drainage. The solution? A new drain tile through the farm of his neighbor, Mr. Schultz.

Schultz didn't like the idea of Halpin tearing up his property, and refused. Halpin sued for the right to install the tile through Schultz's farm - and won - in Grundy County circuit court. The appellate court reversed in an opinion which you can read here:

http://www.state.il.us/court/opinions/appellatecourt/2008/3rddistrict/April/3060767.pdf

Halpin then appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court. Watch the oral arguments here:

http://163.191.183.117/court/SupremeCourt/Video/2009/031209_106537.wmv

Schultz represents himself. He names all the players and does a terrific job defending himself against the Grundy County machine. Watch the whole video. Schultz presents his case in the second half.

Feeney to get high-paying city consulting job?

2009-04-19T20:22:00.005-05:00

Dick is up to his old tricks again, scheming to keep Brian Feeney on the payroll, despite the fact that east side residents voted him out. The police union representative has been directed by the mayor to negotiate with Brian Feeney, even though Feeney's term of office is expiring. Feeney is like a guest who overstays his welcome. He just doesn't know when to leave.

Sweet Deal for Coal City Administrator

2009-04-19T20:09:00.005-05:00

The Coal City village administrator has had a stroke of extraordinary good luck. It seems that Mr. Fritz submitted the winning bid on one of the houses in the Richard's Crossing subdivision, by the now-bankrupt Kennedy Homes. A new house for only $85,000? This sounds like a terrific deal.

City of Morris to increase fees?

2009-03-26T18:42:00.002-05:00

Are plans in the works to begin charging residents up to $40 per month for garbage pickup?

Court says taxpayers can sue to stop TIF abuse

2008-11-04T19:46:00.000-06:00

A new Illinois appellate court case gives ordinary citizen taxpayers the right to sue to stop abusive TIF practices by a municipality.

In Malec v. City of Belleville, the City of Belleville passed an ordinance to enter into a TIF agreement to develop vacant property that it said was "blighted." Steven Malec, a citizen and taxpayer, sued to declare the city's TIF ordinance invalid because the area was not in fact "blighted" as required by the TIF law.

The city moved to dismiss Malec's claim, trotting out the familiar but untrue argument that TIF does not raise taxes because TIF funds would not exist but for the creation of the TIF. Thus, according the the city, the general funds of the city were not impacted, taxpayers were not affected, and Malec had no standing to sue. The local trial court agreed with the city and dismissed Malec's suit.

The appellate court reversed the trial court and reinstated Malec's lawsuit. The appellate court rejected the city's argument, finding that TIF does impact taxes and general revenues. Accordingly, taxpayers are permitted to sue to stop cities from violating the TIF law, even if they don't live in the TIF district.

Finally, a court sees through the patently false (but often repeated) assertion that TIF does not raise taxes.

Mayor gets 22% salary increase

2008-10-22T19:23:00.008-05:00

According to this Morris Daily Herald article, the mayor will be getting a whopping salary increase. Not only does the mayor's salary go from $68,798 to $71,550, he also will receive an additional salary of $15,000 for being "liquor commissioner." Being liquor commissioner is part of the statutory duties of being mayor. Hasn't this always been considered part of the job? This amounts to $17,752 over the current salary, or 22%.

The move was spearheaded by alderman Brian Feeney.

Change in TIF law threatens downtown Morris businesses

2008-10-07T22:16:00.014-05:00

House Bill 773 is advancing through the legislative process, on its way to becoming law.

According to the Illinois Enterprise Zone Association, HB-773 will expand the Prevailing Wage law to include nearly every construction and renovation project in TIF districts, and will require Prevailing Wage even for even those undertaken by private businesses.

In plain English, businesses and property owners in TIF districts will be required to pay union scale wages anytime work is done on their building or equipment.

According to the Illinois Enterprise Zone Association, the result will be a massive escalation of cost for virtually all work done by private businesses in TIF Districts.

Read the article from the Illinois Enterprise Zone Association here.

Follow the progress of the bill here.

Will School Board Members Act Responsibly?

2008-09-23T18:12:00.021-05:00

Mike Farrell wrote a thoughtful and balanced article about the meeting orchestrated by the city to promote the expansion of the Morris TIF.

Farrell explains that the Morris TIF can be extended for an additional twelve years, but only by an act of the state legislature. Moreover, the state legislature will not do so unless the local school boards agree.

The Morris TIF siphons approximately $3,500,000 from local school districts and other taxing bodies every year, and diverts that money to the City of Morris. The schools don't go without, however. The deficit is simply made up in the form of higher taxes for everyone in the school districts - including those who do not live within the city limits of Morris.

Some points for consideration:

At the meeting organized by the City of Morris on September 22, the mayor told the audience that he is engaged in negotiations with the school districts for the extension of TIF. Do the school boards know what their superintendents are up to?

The city's TIF attorneys are not impartial experts on TIF. They are advocates who are paid extraordinary fees to advance the city's interests. They are hired guns.

The school board members have the power to end TIF in 2009. Not only can they end the annual drain on school finances, they are also in a position to recoup over $9 million the city has accumulated for building a new municipal services building. If this money is not properly used by the end of the TIF, it must be returned to the taxing districts.

School boards should not be concerned about city finances. They were elected to look out for the schools.

School boards need to be proactive. They need to hire an experienced TIF attorney. They need to do this now.

School board members must be held accountable if they fail in their duties to the children and the taxpayers.

City of Morris looks to schoolchildren to pay for Community Landfill cleanup

2008-09-11T09:17:00.005-05:00

The City of Morris has scheduled a public meeting for September 22, 2008 to consider an amendment to the Morris TIF District Redevelopment Plan.

The City is seeking to add five parcels to the TIF District, including the Community Landfill property. We can expect that the city will then use some or all of the $9,000,000+ that it has accumulated from TIF to pay for the cleanup of the Community Landfill.

Perhaps anticipating the public's disapproval, the Notice contains additional political commentary unnecessary to the purpose of the notice, making the patently false claim that "TIF DOES NOT raise property taxes"

The city's commentary goes on to explain that..."TIF is used merely to reallocate" increased property tax revenues..."

Indeed TIF reallocates tax revenues - taking the money from schools and other taxing bodies, and giving that money to the city. The tax revenue that would have otherwise gone to the schools must be made up - in the form of over $3,000,000 annually in higher property taxes for everyone.

Community Landfill

2008-07-28T17:00:00.027-05:00

There has been little discussion lately about the liability facing the City of Morris as a result of its involvment with Community Landfill, Inc.

The Illinois Pollution Control Board has ruled that the city of Morris partnered with Community Landfill, Inc. to operate the city dump and that the city failed to provide the required "adequate financial assurances" for proper closure of the landfill.

The adverse IPCB ruling results from the actions of former mayor Bob Feeney and current mayor Dick Kopczick. The city co-signed performance bonds for Community Landfill, Inc. and submitted the bonds to the State of Illinois in order to maintain licensing for the landfill.

Why? Because Community Landfill, Inc. could not obtain proper bonding on its own.

Community Landfill, Inc. was operated by convicted felons, a fact known to both mayors when the bonds were signed.

Moreover, the bonds were issued by a bonding company which had been removed from the list of approved bonding companies in 2000. Another fact that was known to the city and its engineers and attorneys.

Predictably, the bond is worthless and Community Landfill, Inc. is unable to pay the costs. The IEPA is now looking to the taxpayers of Morris to do the environmental cleanup at the landfill.

The Illinois Pollution Control Board has already determined that the City is liable. Only the amount of the penalty to be imposed is yet to be determined.

Read the IPCB opinion finding against Morris here.

More SenreQ Tax Liens

2008-07-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

The Internal Revenue Service has recorded two more Federal Tax Liens against SenreQ.

The most recent one is for $188,569 for Federal Withholding Taxes and unemployment taxes owed on wages and salaries paid to SenreQ employees.

City attorney says TIF payments illegal

2008-07-19T21:02:00.018-05:00

For 19 years, the City of Braidwood gave money from its TIF fund to the Braidwood Park District. Park District representative Wayne Saltzman described the arrangement as a "gentlemen's agreement" in which the park district would get $15,000 a year in return for supporting the TIF. "It was a verbal agreement in 1988. Nothing was ever put in writing," Saltzman added.

"The park loses $125,000 a year to the TIF," Saltzman said.

This year, the practice was halted when city attorney Paul Keller told the council that giving money to the park district from the city's TIF account is not appropriate. Keller cited a TIF Association opinion that concluded that such payments generally violate the TIF Act, because they are not "in furtherance of the redevelopment plan and project."

The City of Morris also engages in this questionable practice by making annual payments from TIF funds to the school districts to encourage support for the TIF.

The payments by the City of Morris are not described in the Morris TIF redevelopment plan and are not payments for a project "in furtherance" of the plan. They appear to violate the TIF law for the same reasons as the Braidwood payments.

Read the complete Free Press article.

For an excellent summary of TIF and its proper uses and procedures, see "Economic Toolbox for Municipal Officials," authored by Stewart Diamond and Paul Keller of Ancel Glink. The TIF information starts on page 21.

Morris' highest paid college student?

2008-05-14T16:34:00.004-05:00

As reported by the Morris Daily Herald, Teri Shaw has resigned from the District 54 school board, and has been hired on as a "district administrator" at a salary of $65,000. The following year, the job title will morph into "superintendent" with a salary boost to $90,000. The third year, the salary jumps to $135,000. On top of this, the district has agreed to pay for Teri to finish her MBA and obtain her superintendent credentials at an estimated cost of $22,000. Presumably, she will also receive insurance and retirement benefits.

A remarkable perk is that Terri is apparently not required to actually be present during the day to perform her job duties. (How could she with so many classes to attend?). As reported by the MDH,

Current District 54 Interim Superintendent Dr. Dennis Broniecki said he will continue to serve in his part-time position for the one year remaining on his contract, during which time he will mentor Shaw and continue to serve the district during the day.

Shaw's hours will be more flexible, he said, as she works to get her degree and certification. Her new position as district administrator will be full-time, but will be performance-based, rather than having set hours.

This is quite a generous arrangement for someone who has never held a job in school administration, and has no credentials for the job.

On the other hand, maybe a more business-like approach is just what the doctor ordered. Indeed, it appears that there have been substantial cost savings achieved under Shaw's leadership. It is, at the very least, refreshing that any elected official is conscious of the concept of fiscal responsibility, even when that means eliminating some desired services. Perhaps the board's action will be viewed as a shrewd move toward a more fiscally accountable school district.

I suspect however, that the public will view this decision as self-serving for Shaw, and very irresponsible by the board.

The cookie jar has again proven to be just too tempting.

MDH article

Reversal of fortune?

2008-04-24T17:07:00.007-05:00

A couple of interesting items from the recent city council meeting. As reported by the Morris Daily Herald,

"...the council approved paying ‘D' Construction $5,000 for additional work at the entrance to the former SenreQ property at the south end of Ashley Road."

Does this mean that Senreq has formally closed up shop? Is their lease still in effect?

Additionally, the city council did not approve the mayor's highly suspect proposal to award a $400,000 no-bid contract to Spiess Construction to install 1/2 mile of sanitary sewer along Illinois 47, from Saratoga School to the north end of the ProLogis property.

The rationale advanced by the mayor and Scott Belt was that Prologis Drive was being upgraded and would then become a city street, and if the sewer line was not extended in time, the city would have to bore under ProLogis Drive at an increased cost.

Just wondering... why can't the city install the sewer pipe across Prologis Drive now, for a distance of 60 feet or so, and connect it later after bids are received?

City of Morris exposed to civil liability?

2008-03-03T20:10:00.006-06:00

Morris is not the first city to make creative use of sales tax rebate agreements.

The village of Lisle entered into a questionable sales tax rebate agreement and soon found itself named as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by the other municipality.

After years of litigation, a cash settlement was reached, as reported in this recent Chicago Tribune article.

Read the complete appellate court ruling in Village of Itasca vs. Village of Lisle.

Minority Development?

2008-02-22T19:07:00.010-06:00

According the City of Morris Treasurer's Report, one of the city's largest vendors is a company called Minority Development Co. Last fiscal year, the city paid Minority Development $639,604.

With the name Minority Development, someone skimming the Treasurer's Report might assume that this is a minority-owned construction company hired for a large public works project. That is not the case.

Actually, this company occupies a sparsely furnished one-room office in the Franklin Building, where it does "paperwork" for a large suburban car dealership.

What is really going on here?

It appears that the arrangement goes something like this:

The car dealership claims that millions of dollars of vehicles are sold in the tiny office in Morris. Using a sales tax rebate agreement, the city then rebates a large portion of the city's sales tax revenue back to the dealership, keeping a small percentage for the city. Minority Development acts as the conduit. No cars, customers or salesmen are physically present in Morris.

The dealership manages to avoid paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax. The suburban village where the car dealership is actually located is similarly deprived of hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax revenue. All courtesy of the City of Morris.

Municipality sued over sales tax rebate agreement

Village of Itasca vs. Village of Lisle

City engineer cashes in

2008-01-06T15:52:00.000-06:00

"City officials in Wilmington have grumbled for years about how much the city pays each year for professional services, but this year's payments to the city engineers has led to discussions about creating an in-house engineering position." This according to a recent article in the Free Press newspapers.

It seems the City of Wilmington paid engineers over $221,000 last year. The city council is so upset by the expense that it is considering moving engineering services in-house.

Morris should be so lucky.

According to the City of Morris Treasurer's Report published in the Morris Daily Herald, the city of Morris paid Chamlin & Associates engineers a whopping $826,972 last fiscal year.

Payments to Chamlin ballooned 39% percent over the previous year, when the city of Morris paid Chamlin $593,346.

To put this in perspective, if we allow for weekends and holidays, the city of Morris paid Chamlin $3,269 per day, for each and every working day of the year.

Mike Farrell advocates ending TIF

2007-12-15T12:31:00.000-06:00

Mike Farrell has written an opinion piece suggesting that it is time to end the Morris TIF.

The Morris TIF district will expire in 2009, unless the school boards agree to an extension.

City officials are actively lobbying school superintendents for an extension.

Mr. Farrell's analysis recognizes the fact that TIF diverts money from our schools. Each year, according to Farrell, over $3,000,000 is diverted from other taxing districts into city coffers. The other taxing districts don't go without; the shortfall is simply made up in the form of higher taxes for every property owner in the district.

By refusing to extend TIF, school boards can improve the financial condition of their districts and bring about much needed tax relief.

Oak Park School Boards Demand Return of TIF Money

Lawsuit by Seneca school board halts TIF abuse

City raises taxes 11%

2007-12-12T07:22:00.000-06:00

The Morris City Council has approved an 11% increase in city property taxes, as reported in this Morris Daily Herald article. City property taxes will increase by $187,589 to $1,961,500 - an 11% increase over the previous year.

(This isn't including the city's TIF tax, which adds $3,000,000 annually in hidden property taxes.)

City officials chant the misleading mantra that the tax rate has remained level, while imposing double-digit tax hikes on residents year after year.

According to alderman Jeff Paulson,

Your taxes (paid to the city) are going up because the value of your property has gone up,”

Really? Has the value of your home gone up by 11 percent over last year?

Well get out your wallet, because city property taxes just did.

Diamond Mayor to Village Council and Public: Butt Out!

2007-12-05T11:42:00.000-06:00

Last week, the the Village of Diamond delayed approval of the final plat for the Morris Community Credit Union. The Courant explains the reason for the delay in this article.

Before considering the final plat, health and safety commissioner Donna Scholtes had asked for time to read the development agreement she would be approving. Although the agreement was in the planning and zoning office a few days prior to the regular meeting, Scholtes was unaware of it.

The commissioner brought up a timing issue with regard to the development agreements, which are not available to the Village Board until the time of final plat approval.

"When it gets to us, that's late in the game," Scholtes said. "We should not be seeing it at the end of negotiations."

Scholtes requested greater involvement in the development agreement process.

Sound reasonable? Not to mayor Ramme.

Diamond's system was explained by the Courant as this:

"Diamond's Mayor, Mike Ramme, determines when economic incentive is appropriate and negotiates terms with the developer along with lawyers from both parties.

The agreement is not available to the Zoning Board before it makes its recommendation; it is not available to the Village Board until it considers final plat; it is not available to the public until after it has been approved by the Village Board.

No public discussion is held regarding economic incentives."

Council members are not supposed to ask any questions, or excercise any independent judgment? Apparently, the mayor feels that council members should just vote in favor of whatever proposal is set in front of them, without reading it.

MDDP

2007-11-27T19:01:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-09T20:12:00.000-06:00

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?

2007-11-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

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?

Treasurer's Report

2007-10-29T21:27:00.000-05:00

The City of Morris Annual Treasurer's Report was published in tonight's Morris Daily Herald. It is not available online.

Be sure to clip-n-save the report, as we may be referring to it in upcoming postings.

Opportunity for our schools

2007-10-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

Skeptical Morris has finally weighed in on TIF. I do not share Skeptical's defeatist attitude about the use of TIF for the new city hall. The city council is divided on the issue of the new city hall, and it doesn't appear that the mayor has the votes to approve the project in its present form. Two points merit further consideration.

Point Number One:

It is true that the city amended the Redevelopment Plan in 1999 to designate funds for the construction of a new city hall - just days before an amendment to the TIF law that would prohibit such a use. However, the amended plan does not give the city carte blanche to build the city hall. The 1999 amended Redevelopment Plan only earmarked $2.5 million dollars for the project - a far cry from the $14 million or more that is now being estimated, and the nearly $2 million already spent.

This substantial change to the Redevelopment Plan requires consideration by the Joint Review Board, which consists of the members of the affected taxing bodies. There will have to be specific findings that bring the project within one of the limited exceptions to the 1999 ban on the use of TIF money to fund municipal buildings.

If the Joint Review Board dissaproves the change in the redevelopment plan, the city can proceed with the project only on a three-fifths vote of the City Council.

Any TIF funds not expended before the expiration of the TIF term must be returned to the affected taxing bodies. Districts 54 and 101 could recoup millions of dollars diverted from schools to the TIF slush fund.

Point Number Two:

The Morris TIF is set to end in 2009. The city has already approached the school districts asking for a twelve year extension.

When Morris adopted the TIF in 1986, it was sold to the city council, the schools and the public as a means to spur development in blighted areas and ultimately generate additional property tax revenue for the taxing bodies.

The city has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to use TIF money for its intended purpose.

The school districts have the power to end the Morris TIF in 2009. Let's hope that the school boards do not miss this opportunity to address the financial needs of educating our children, while at the same time bringing much needed tax relief the residents of their districts.

City acknowledges TIF hurdles in this MDH article

Ben Joravsky of the Chicago Reader has authored numerous articles on creative TIF abuses in Chicago. Check out the TIF Archives.

Full text of the TIF law

Seneca school districts win TIF abuse lawsuit

Oak Park school districts demand return of TIF money

Steffes forced out. Crony to be appointed chief?

2007-10-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

There is job opening in city hall for Chief of Police. Tracey Steffes has resigned at the insistence of the mayor. It seems the former chief has fallen out of favor with Dick and Scott, probably over family matters which by now are pretty well known around town.

Who will be appointed to fill the position? The disturbing rumor is that the mayor wants to appoint Jeff Paulson. Paulson's credentials for the position range from minimal to questionable. Is this yet another case of punishing your enemies and rewarding your friends and political allies?

Lights out for Senreq?

2007-09-25T12:51:00.000-05:00

The electric meter appears to have been pulled from Senreq's demonstration facility, which is located on property rented from the City of Morris for $1,200 per year. Click on the photo to zoom in.

Why was the meter pulled? Is Senreq so successful at generating energy from garbage that it no longer needs to buy electricity?

Thank you to the alert reader who e-mailed this photo.

Kopczick's Corn Festival Legacy

2007-09-18T17:35:00.000-05:00

The Antique Gas Engine Show is absent from the Grundy County Corn Festival this year. The event had been a fixture of Corn Festivals for decades. Antique gas engine enthusiasts travelled from far and near to proudly display their machinery.

Last year, Mayor Dick Kopczick issued a controversial mayoral edict ordering the engine operators to immediately remove their vehicles from the lawn at Chapin Park. The operators tried to explain that they must stay near their machines to keep them running safely. Mayor Kopczick refused to reconsider. Instead, he enlisted the assistance of police to carry out his command and swiftly emptied the park. The engine owners group vowed not to return to Morris.

You might think that the mayor would take steps to make amends and encourage the group to return. If the park lawn had suddenly become an overriding concern, surely there must be some other suitable location.

These out of town guests who volunteered their time, money and energy to make Corn Festival more enjoyable for all, are now left with a negative perception of our community, festival goers are deprived of an enjoyable experience, and a Corn Festival tradition has been destroyed.

Raiding TIF

2007-08-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

Spending TIF funds to construct municipal buildings generating no new tax revenue is contrary to the purpose and intent of the TIF law.

In 1999, the Illinois legislature enacted an amendment to the TIF law to end this abusive practice.

Section 11‑74.4‑3 (q)(4) of the TIF law says that:

... on and after November 1, 1999, redevelopment project costs shall not include the cost of constructing a new municipal public building principally used to provide offices, storage space, or conference facilities or vehicle storage, maintenance, or repair for administrative, public safety, or public works personnel....

There are some limited exceptions which would permit a municipal building to be built with TIF funds, such as when it is part of a redevelopment plan adopted before 1999, or when it is replacing a municipal building that must be demolished as part of the redevelopment plan.

The exceptions do not seem to apply with the City's current plans.

Full text of the TIF law

Transcript of debate on the 1999 Amendment to the TIF law in the Illinois House of Representatives.

The discussion on TIF starts at page 239, including definitions for "blight."

Discussion about spending TIF money for municipal buildings starts at page 249. Read as the sponsoring legislators call this practice an "abuse" of TIF.

Morris Daily Herald Article published September 5, 2007

Abuse of the public trust

2007-08-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

The city is about to spend $12 Million on a new city hall, using TIF money.

TIF funds consist largely of taxes diverted from schools. Eveyone's taxes must go up to cover the difference. What's more, TIF money is not supposed to be used to build new municipal buildings on prime real estate. It is intended to revitalize blighted areas. The theory being that the redeveloped property will produce more property taxes than were lost by the schools in the first instance. The municipal building will generate no property taxes and no sales taxes.

City officials know full well that they are misusing TIF. They also know that there is no penalty for doing so, except at the ballot box.

For a good summary of how TIF works, and its potential abuses, see the Citizen Advocacy Center website

Shugart and Cook on boundary line agreement

2007-08-21T07:03:00.000-05:00

Morris alderman Martha Shugart and Channahon village president Joe Cook will be on WCSJ this morning, Tuesday August 21, at 9:10 a.m., to discuss the proposed boundary line agreement between Morris and Channahon.

Shugart has skillfully negotiated a proposed boundary line agreement which would give Morris two of the four corners of the Brisbin Road interchange. Additionally, Channahon would de-annex almost 300 acres to Morris. If the agreement is approved, Morris stands to receive substantial property tax and sales tax benefits from economic activity at the interchange. Morris mayor Dick Kopczick opposes the plan.

Police contract

2007-08-18T19:36:00.000-05:00

Morris police continue to work without a contract. The mayor has no problem spending $9,000,0000 to $13,000,000 on an extravagant new city hall. He has no problem spending $257,000 on the city attorney. And he has no problem "donating" tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to private organizations. Why can't the city find the resources to settle the police contract on fair terms?

More trouble for Senreq

2007-08-11T14:15:00.000-05:00

Records at the Cook County Recorder of Deeds office show that Senreq has recently acquired another tax lien. This time for allegedly failing to pay state tax obligations.

Dissolution notices have also been recorded against several of the many Senreq entities.

Cook County Recorder

Follow lawsuits against Senreq at the Cook County Circuit Clerk website

This man claims to be "Operations Manager" for Senreq's Morris facility

District 54 Cost Savings

2007-08-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Jeanne Milsap has penned an informative and well-written report on cost saving measures suggested by the Citizens Finance Committee. The article includes the supporting analysis for the recommendations, and omits the personal opinions of the author.

Some of the recommendations, such as not replacing the nurse's aid and social worker, fall into the no-brainer category and should be adopted by the District 54 board. The other recommendations also merit serious consideration. $14,000 per year in health insurance benefits seems excessive given the financial condition of the district, and compared to the $4,000 spent by the Saratoga school district.

Controlling costs and living within your means requires setting priorities and making difficult and sometimes unpopular choices. That is what taxpayers have to do. We should expect no less from the school board.

I suspect the tone and content of the article would have been very different had it been written by Mike Farrell.

Look up teachers salaries

Darrell Brown

2007-07-14T16:38:00.000-05:00

This post is for comments related to the allegations about Darrell Brown.

MCHS crash and dash

2007-06-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

According to a report in the Joliet Herald News, a student driver struck a dog during a driving lesson last month. Then, instead of stopping, the driver's education teacher allegedly instructed the student to leave the scene of the accident.

Teacher and student sped away as the dog died in its owner's arms.

City of Morris violates Open Meetings Act?

2007-06-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

The City of Morris does not post agendas for city council meetings on it's website.

This omission seems to be in violation of the Open Meetings Act, Sec. 2.02(a), which provides that:

"A public body that has a website that the full‑time staff of the public body maintains shall also post on its website the agenda of any regular meetings of the governing body of that public body."

And, according to the Better Government Association, the City of Morris also has trouble complying with the Freedom of Information Act. Read their report here.

Alderman opposes wasteful spending, misuse of TIF

2007-06-19T17:49:00.000-05:00

At the June 18 city council meeting, alderman Darrell Brown said he was concerned there would not be a vote on the new city hall building until after the bids have been received.

“I am concerned about spending $9 million from the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) fund,” he said. “TIF is for blighted areas or to upgrade existing structures.”

Brown said he understood the city and the police department need more space, but indicated he did not agree with spending $9 to $12 million on a new building.

He suggested a smaller building could be constructed in the parking lot adjacent to the current city hall. That building could be used by the city, with the current city hall turned over to the police department.

City attorney squelches alderman

2007-06-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

The Morris Daily Herald has published an article by Mike Farrell entitled "Extra alderman's involvement could violate law." The article is not available online.

In the article, Farrell explains why Alderman Don Matteson was not permitted to speak when he attended a meeting of a committee of which he is not a member.

Unbelievable? Yes, according to Mike Farrell, our city attorney has recommended that aldermen not be permitted to speak at committee meetings!

The explanation given by our pricey city attorney is that a fourth alderman would make a "majority of a quorum and could be a violation of the Open Meetings Act."

The Open Meetings Act, according to guidelines published by Attorney General Lisa Madigan, is intended "to ensure that the actions of public bodies be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly."

The Act, with few exceptions, requires that "all meetings of public bodies shall be open to the public." A "meeting" is defined as "any gathering of a majority of a quorum of the members of a public body held for the purpose of discussing public business."

Most, if not all, Morris city council committees consist of three alderman members. Thus, two committee members would constitute a majority of a quorum. This simply triggers the requirement (which the city complies with) that the meeting be open to the public, and that there must be public notice of the meeting.

Nothing in the Open Meetings Act remotely suggests that any individual, alderman or private citizen, is prohibited from speaking at a public meeting.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan's Open Meetings Act website

Read comments by Skeptical Morris

Tractor adventure trumps city park

2007-06-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

The Morris Daily Herald reports that:

"[t]he Finance Committee received approval for donating $8,000 for the Heritage Tractor Adventure and making a $15,000 payment to the Morris Downtown Development Partnership."

And at the same meeting:

"Alderman Martha Shugart reported a group of 15-and-16 year-olds has volunteered to upgrade McKinley Park. She reported the Public Works Department has smoothed out the basketball court and the teenagers will do painting, cleaning and doing other work at the park. She reported the gravel in the parks will have to be removed and replaced with a product made from recycled tires. Alderman Shugart said the city would appreciate any donations to help cover the cost of this product."

Anyone see the irony here? The city of Morris gives away $23,000 of taxpayer money in "donations," while simultaneously soliciting donations of time and money from the public for upkeep to McKinley Park?

And to boot, the city failed to act on a contract for the police.

Shouldn't park maintenance and police protection take priority over donations for a "Tractor Adventure?"

One might ask why the city making donations at all. Shouldn't individual citizens decide for themselves what charities they give too? Is it really charitable if you are giving away someone else's money? Is this a proper use for tax dollars?

To Alderman Shugart's credit, she is the only alderman to vote against the donation for the "Tractor Adventure."

( Just a reminder: First Installment of your Property Tax Adventure is due June 11. )

Morris Daily Herald article

Gardner residents keep out!

2007-05-30T17:36:00.000-05:00

According to the Morris Daily Herald, the Village of Gardner held a meeting to discuss the creation of a controversial TIF district. Commissioner Dick Hileman and city attorney Scott Belt were allowed in, but interested residents and members of the media were excluded.

"In fact, Commissioner Hileman locked the door, effectively preventing neighbors and members of the media from entering village hall."

The circumstances in which public meetings can be closed are limited. Doesn't the the village board have to vote to go into executive session? What is it that Hileman and Belt don't want you to know?

Read the complete Morris Daily Herald article

Read about how commissioner Hileman reacts to criticism, in Thomas vs. Hileman

Gus Macker

2007-05-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

Do downtown businesses really benefit from the Gus Macker basketball tournament?

It's a start

2007-05-24T18:25:00.000-05:00

The District 54 Board has voted (with two opposed) to eliminate one administrative position, that of Finance Director. It's about time at least one taxing body has determined to make fiscal responsibility a priority. Other taxing bodies should follow their lead. As an added bonus, the board did not consider any resolutions asking for the resignations of the dissenters.

Taxes

2007-05-18T06:33:00.001-05:00

Tax bills are out. Taxes on a house in Morris might be double what they are for a comparable home in Coal City. (Yes, taxes in Coal City are substantially lower than last year.)

A Morris resident is likely to be paying more in taxes than an owner of a comparable house in places such as Naperville. Except Morris doesn't have the services that Naperville has, like park districts and public transportation.

Coal City cleans house

2007-05-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

After beating his opponent by a wide margin, Neal Nelson has been sworn in as Coal City's new mayor. In his first official meeting, Nelson appointed a new city attorney. In what may prove to be a shrewd decision, Nelson has avoided the politics inherent in hiring a local law firm by selecting a firm from outside the area. Congratulations to the people of Coal City for taking action to bring about a change in their city government.

Missing: Backbone. If found, please contact Morris Aldermen

2007-05-08T05:46:00.000-05:00

Despite being well-qualified for the position and receiving the nomination of the Grundy County Republican Party, David Trotter was passed over by the Morris City Council in favor of the mayor's choice, Don Hansen, to fill the aldermanic seat vacated by Ken Seidler. While the mayor has the power to make the appointment, it can only be done with the advice and consent of the city council. Aldermen Brown and Barkley voted against Hansen's appointment.

Slick budget maneuver planned?

2007-04-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

There is speculation that the mayor will attempt to approve the budget for the upcoming fiscal year at the last meeting of the current city council, rather than at the first meeting of the new city council, as has always been done in the past. The two public meetings will be held back to back on Tuesday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m.

Some aldermen and aldermen-elect are said to have questions about the size and composition of the budget as proposed by the mayor.

Why should the new city council be hamstrung by a budget approved the the old city council? The new city council will have to live with this budget and they should be the given the opportunity to consider and vote on it.

Read about Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

Plans unveiled for new city hall

2007-04-26T06:46:00.000-05:00

The mayor is advocating the construction of a new city hall building at a cost of $9.3 million. This does not include the cost of the land, or the nearly $600,000 the city has already spent on architects.

Despite the hefty price tag, the mayor has never brought this controversial project to the full city council for a vote.

New Feeney job included in budget?

2007-04-25T17:14:00.000-05:00

Mayor Kopczick presented a budget to the aldermen that includes a brand new $40,000 salary expense line-item for the Finance Department.

This new item is ambiguously labeled as "Salary - Administrative Staff." Curiously, all of the other salary expense line items - except this one - identify specific job titles.

Could this be the new job rumored to have been promised to Brian Feeney?

City proposes $21.7 million deficit budget; $670,000 earmarked for landfill blunder

2007-04-19T06:29:00.000-05:00

The Morris Daily Herald reported that a tentative budget for the next fiscal year was presented to the city council. Mike Farrell, who seldom misses an opportunity to disguise editorial as news, reports the story under the misleading headline, "Morris Finances Strong."

But read past Farrell's ill-fitting headline (thanks for your opinion, Mike), and we find the following tidbit:

"Revenues for the fiscal year are estimated at $25 million and expenses at $46.7 million."

According to my math, this would be $21.7 million of deficit spending in the upcoming fiscal year. Read on a little further, and we find this:

"Costs related to Community Landfill closure, including attorney's fees, are estimated at $670,000."

And this is only for one fiscal year. It looks like it will be another banner year for the lawyers feeding at the City of Morris public trough.

Morris Herald article

Election

2007-04-18T15:14:00.000-05:00

In order to avoid cluttering up the other topics, this post was created to provide a forum for gloating and commiserating over the results of the recent election. Sledgehammer Morris is, of course, apolitical and will remain completely neutral.

Hospital opposes surgical center

2007-04-15T08:32:00.000-05:00

The public hearing on the proposed surgical center drew a large crowd for what appeared to be a well-choreographed showing of opposition to the facility.

Cliff Corbett, president and CEO of Morris Hospital, was quoted as saying "the proposed surgical center poses a serious threat to the services that Morris Hospital provides, which includes maintaining the hospital's staff levels." Opponents claim that the surgical center would take away about 60 percent of the hospital's outpatient surgery. (Doesn't the Hospital provide other services besides outpatient surgery? How does Morris Hospital manage to survive the surgical center already operating in Morris?)

Mr. Corbett is also quoted in the Herald as saying that "notions of fair competition between the hospital and the proposed center are like comparing apples to oranges.“Real competition only takes place on a level playing field ...” Corbett said. “That is clearly not the case here.”

I agree with Mr. Corbett on that point. It is not a level playing field. The Hospital, a not for profit entity, has a huge advantage over the surgical center in that it does not pay income taxes and property taxes. In contrast, the proposed surgical center, a for-profit entity, will be paying income taxes and generating property tax revenue for Channahon.

Oh, and won't the surgical center produce new jobs?

But what really caught my attention is one other quote from Mr. Corbett, "the hospital would work with Channahon, but not Pliura." Why not? What is really playing out behind the scenes? Is there any truth to the rumors that power struggles and personality clashes are the driving force behind the hospital's opposition to the surgical center?

Surgical center

2007-04-06T19:40:00.000-05:00

“By golly, I agree with them” says mayor Kopczick, referring to the desire of Channahon residents to have access to healthcare in their town, and not have to travel to Morris or Joliet.

Nonetheless, Dickie has unilaterally decided that the City of Morris is opposed to this new facility - even though the issue was never discussed or voted on in a city council meeting.

Shouldn't area residents have the choice of where to obtain their healthcare? Shouldn't doctors and medical personnel have the choice of where to work? Some are charging that Morris Hospital is exagerating the detrimental potential of the new facility, given the area's rapid population growth. And why is it OK for Morris to have an orthopedic surgical center, but not Channahon?

This new facility may result in more options, better service and better prices. By Golly.

Teacher knows best

2007-04-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

In a peculiar campaign strategy, Mayor Micetich has published a political ad that manages to insult nearly every voter in the community. Micetich opposes the use of the referendum process to make major decisions about the future of Coal City. It is hard for me to conceive of any reason why the citizens of the Village of Coal City cannot be entrusted to participate in the decision making process for major issues. Is Micetich that much smarter than everyone else?

Feeney forms new committee

2007-03-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

In an opinion letter published in the Morris Daily Herald on March 7, 2007, Brian Feeney said:

"Fortunately, before last week's committee meeting adjourned, I was authorized as chairman to form a new committee to investigate how Morris, Grundy County, SENREQ and perhaps an outside foundation or grant agency might work together to finance a solution that works for everyone, if such a solution is indeed possible. I pledge that the committee will look at every available technology option brought to it, but I doubt that I'll ever again be able to negotiate a deal on behalf of the taxpaper that even comes close to what we had. I will, however, do my best."

The "solution" that Kopczick and Feeney had previously proposed called for the city to issue up to $8 Million in bonds to finance the Senreq project. If the project failed, the city would be left with the bond liability - and the garbage. Does this sound familiar? Like when the city partnered with Community Landfill, and as a result may be stuck with a $17 million bill for the cleanup? Feeney and Kopczick both were aldermen who supported the Community Landfill blunder. We can't afford any more solutions from Mr. Bungles and his committee.

Senreq's gasification unit. (Is this a shipping container?)

Check to see if Senreq is in good standing with the State of Illinois.

Look up tax lien recorded against Senreq in Cook County.

Look up campaign contributions made by Mr. and Mrs. Brick and Senreq, and payments made by Dick Kopczick to Brick Consulting.

Mayor Micetich's failing memory?

2007-03-28T08:34:00.000-05:00

WCSJ reported this morning that the Coal City Village Council would consider adopting a floodplain ordinance. It was reported that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources had sent letters to the Village in 2005 and 2006, and that adoption of such an ordinance would have the added benefit of allowing participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. The WCSJ report applied a kinder and gentler spin to the letters. Actually, these letters, which are addressed directly to Mayor Micetich, contain rather blunt warnings that if Coal City did not comply, the community could be suspended from participation in NFIP. WCSJ ended the story by attributing a statement to Mayor Micetich thanking a member of the community for bringing this important matter to the attention of the village council.

What WCSJ failed to mention, though, is the earlier letter sent by IDNR about this very subject almost twelve years ago, on August 18, 1995, and now circulating around the village. The letter summarizes the highlights of a meeting between IDNR and then city-councilman Jim Micetich that occured on July 28, 1995, in which the IDNR requested the adoption of such an ordinance "within 90 days" in order to bring the village into compliance. Micetich was given a manual, to provide "helpful guidance in establishing and implementing the administrative procedures necessary to comply with the ordinance and FEMA requirements."

That's a lot of bananas

2007-03-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

According to published reports, Morris paid its city attorney $257,486 last year. Assuming an hourly rate of $110, is he claiming to have spent 2,341 hours on city business? That would be 341 hours more than a typical 2,000 hour work-year. If so, this would be quite a feat, considering that our city attorney also represents Gardner, Mazon, Carbon Hill, the 911 Board, etc, and has a busy private practice besides. He must be working around the clock! Besides this, the city paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to other lawyers to handle the airport condemnation suit, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to yet other lawyers to handle the landfill matter.

But he looks good in a suit...

2007-03-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

This post was created to collect comments on which forms of wildlife would be best suited to hold public office.

Gasification system

2007-03-17T17:16:00.000-05:00

Now available from Sledgehammer Morris! Household Waste Gasification System (HWGS). Limited time offer. Hurry, while supplies last! Send your $50,000 today!

Senreq's gasification unit. (Is this a shipping container?)

Check to see if Senreq is in good standing with the State of Illinois.
Search for tax liens recorded against Senreq in Cook County.

Mayoral appointment

2007-03-17T13:08:00.000-05:00

It has been several weeks since the republican party nominated Darrell Brown to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of alderman Bob Elleson. There have been several city council meetings, but Mayor Kopczick still hasn't made the appointment. Why? Could it be Chicago-style partisan politics, like those criticized by Luella Kellogg and Mike Farrell?

Fire trucks

2007-03-13T13:35:00.000-05:00

This topic has been created to collect comments on local fire truck adventures.