Community Landfill

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.

Plans unveiled for new city hall

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?

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?

Feeney forms new committee

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.