The City of Morris Annual Treasurer's Report was published in tonight's Morris Daily Herald. It is not available online.
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"Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth." Franklin D. Roosevelt
8 comments:
Letter to the Editor
October 30, 2007
Morris Daily Herald
By Martha Shugart:
Over the past few weeks I have read Voice of the People columns attacking Curt Mercadante for expressing his views on several local issues.
Whether you agree with Mr. Mercadante's point of view or not, is not the focal point. The fact remains that Mr. Mercadante has raised questions on issues that indeed needed some light shed upon them. His writings have reminded me that even here in Grundy County sometimes it is good to question authority, and that leadership is more about being open and letting people form their own opinion and less about trying to get people to blindly follow.
Due to an investiation of Senreq and its owners' relationship to Morris, the issues involving this company were exposed. Perhaps if someone actively questioned the Community Landfill deal, this city would not be involved in this multimillion dollar dilemma that sits in our financial lap today.
The use of TIF funds has raised great concerns from many residents and questioning has uncovered the fact that this city legally has only $2.5 million dollars set aside to use for the proposed municipal building and not the $9 million that has been reported.
Mr. Mercadante's points may sting sharply but he does force facts to the often muddy surface of information and this resident, although new to Morris, deserves great credit.
My point is simple -- we need to do what is best for our community and if debate produces positive results then we, as elected officials, should listen responsively. If people don't agree with Mr. Mercadante and the issues he alerts us to, then they should make their case, but to personally attack someone who is willing to question the status quo smells more like political intimidation.
Scooter only scored $180,000 from the city this year. I hear he might start bartending on weekends for extra cash.
Here's a thought:
Maybe we should create Tax Increment Education districts that force municipalities to give up any increases in property taxes within the attendance boundaries of a school that creates a TIE, just as TIF districts force schools (and other local governments) to give up increases in property taxes.
Because municipalities have many revenue sources in addition to property taxes, municipalities would also have to give schools future growth in sales taxes, motor fuel taxes, utility taxes, building permit fees, etc., apportioned based on the population within the TIE boundaries.
Municipal officials would have no way to stop school districts, just as school officials have no way to stop municipalities from creating TIF districts. And a TIE district could last 23 years, the same as a TIF district.
How about it, municipal officials?
Want to give up nearly a quarter century of future tax revenues for your schools, the way you force schools (and other local governments) to give up nearly a quarter century of future tax revenues for your TIF projects?
Isn’t turnabout fair play?
Even the hacks who defend TIF acknowledge that TIF shifts tax burdens, yet they make the absurd argument that TIF does not raise taxes.
Try shifting your future increases in property tax burden onto your next-door neighbor.
The total amount of tax collected from your two homes would be the same, so there'd be no net tax increase, but your neighbor would end up paying his full property tax bill in addition to some of yours.
Try telling your neighbor this would not be a tax increase for him and a subsidy for you.
By Steve Stanek, McHenry County TIF opponent.
TIF meeting Thursday November 1 @ 1:30 pm at city hall. City officials don't want the public to know.
Of course they're having their meeting when those of us with JOBS can't attend.
Martha are you Mercs campaign manager? Keep your day job!!!!
If Scooter is tending bar I wonder what bar he'll choose. It will probably be the one that has the fire truck keys hanging in the office. Bates will be the barback....literally.
So what happened at the TIF meeting?
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