"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.
52 comments:
At least the Wilmington city council has the cahoonas to do something about it. Our aldermen are too afraid to speak up.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what I consider a NICE CASH FLOW, courtesy of us taxpayers, thanks to no bid arrangements with the city. Competition is good.
Hey, SOMEONE'S gotta pay for Warren's bar tab.
Scooter must be pissed off that someone is making more money from the city than he is.
Let's be fair about this, Chamlin charges day to day work by time and expense. Projects are charged by a percentage, roughly 9% design & bid and 6% project management including inspection. Of course 15% is common because Chamlin (with Scooters endoresment) says it is common. The fault lies with elected officials. They think the two Gods joined at the hip, retired engineer and retired banker, will rain hell on anybody not on their puppet strings. How soon we forget who purchased thousands of acres of land and annexed it to Channahon up to Morris's back door. Do you really think the Poet is making big money? The joke is on you! Retired does not mean you get a big piece of the action for throwing a mafia attitude around with peon politicians. A couple of golf outings, a few wild game feeds, and a personal loan here or their and the old fogies own you for life. That is why there is no competition, inflated prices, and other firms that do not dare work in Morris for fear of retribution.
12 years ago in Coal City a board member tried to get a new engineer. All hell broke loose, the political pressure was applied, and nothing changed. Channahon and Minooka broke loose along with Diamond and Braidwood. But again, politics got the old engineer back in one and almost both of the these towns. They want to declare themselves as inexpensive because of representing developers at the same time representing the City. Bad form.
Wow, that is great for a guy who does not even have a engineering degree.
WOWEEE! That's alot of banana clips, tattoos and Cross pens to write poems
If the city collected the back rent from the airport, it might offset one day of Chamlin's bills.
Warrens job is to groom and fluff the alderman for the mayors job to keep the money party going.
I heard he is really good at the job.
The airport is Chamlin's honey hole.
Why does the city sell plane fuel and rent hangers way below market price? That pumps up the numbers and shows a need for federal and state dollars for exspansion. Who gets all the work at the airport?
Once in a while Mike Farrell writes a puff piece on how much fuel is being sold out there. Nobody talks about the $200,000.00 loss every year the airport accumulates.
I love the fish frys. That is when pols,construction company owners and chamlins sit around the table with each others member in hand talking about their kingdom.
It is not just the mayor's fault. The aldermen are to blame too for lack of oversight.
Dickie is planning to install a crony at the water treatment plant, passing over much more qualified city workers.
Idea, let the police occupy the entire city hall building. Build new 10,000 sq. ft building across the street just for city hall. A $150.00 sq. ft. will go a long way. Bonus, put extra offices in new building just for an in-house attorney and engineer. The money the town will save just in salaries from these two positions will pay for the entire project in just a few years.
There are plenty of good 'ol boy meetings where the so called who's who thinks they have it all solved. What they seem to forget is that there is a rat in the bunch who has digital recordings of discussions and used a camera phone to capture some of this shenanigans. It will all come out on them soon & the County Board power will shift back to the way it should be.
Isn't it a conflict of interest when the city engineer also represents the developer? If the city relies on the engineer to recommend and oversee a development project, and that same engineer is being paid by the developer, its seems like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.
The cash-cow party goes on right under the noses of the aldermen and they do nothing about it. For shame.
The public needs an indepth report on the relationships and goings on among the government and entities drawing these amazing cash flows. Unfortunately we can't expect local paper to do this.
So who's up for a little investigative reporting?
You are so wrong NAPPY HEADED HO, The city saves money by letting chamlins represent both sides. When my wife divorced me last year. She recommended that we use her attorney to save money. And i agreed, only an idiot does'nt want to save money right? Please meet me a Buds for lunch, you buy.
free debra lafave
Dear Natives,
The Job has been posted(per union rules) No City employees want that job... Not a whole lot of qualifications need there.. Every one helps everyone ! All the Mayors in history do it, what makes Dick so different????
HELP WANTED: Per 12:53, Union job with the City of Morris. Fully paid health benefits. Pension, paid vacation and holidays. No qualficaions necessary. Nobody else wants this job. Apply at City Hall.
Joann Hustis wrote an opinion column pointing out that $40,000 was collected for the Raise the Flags memorial, but no action has been taken. I understand the mayor is in charge of this money, but nobody seems to know what is going on and the mayor is tight-lipped about the situation.
Raise the Flags joins the long list of questionable activities brought to our community by the thugs in city hall: Senreq, Community Landfill, outrageous lawyer and engineer bills, cronyism, city-paid Alabama softball trips, pay-to-play, conflicts of interest, drunken fire truck rides, free-rent-for-buds program, TIF abuse, etc. These guys grab all the cash they can get their hands on, while the down's reputation is going down the crapper.
Like I said no qualifications.Besides honestly,who wouldn't help out friends and family if they had the chance,I know I would. Wouldn't you? I do believe who's being hired is the least of the City of Morris's issues....
I wonder if Warren ever writes poems about Morris. Hmmmm.
The tax bill on my ordinary house on the west side of Morris is now over $8,000. Moving to Morris was a big financial mistake. My house is not my castle, it is my prison. I cannot wait for the day that I can escape my prison.
Ordinary house? $8,000? I don't think so. You should try living in an "ordinary house" or quit paying your taxes and then you can live in a prison. $8,000? That's no "ordinary" house. Try living within your means. Give me a break.
Where the hell did MERC'S blog go?
Hello - anyone out there?
What happened to Merc and company?
How does John Peacock get the nerve to talk about nepotism when months ago he had no problem as chairman of the Grundy County republicans installing his mother in-law as alderman?>
Is Ron Severson planning a forest preserve for grundy county? no wonder the republicans lost control of the county board.
What's the latest on the city hall money grab, the Taj Macityhall? I haven't heard much recently. Is this good or bad? Are the feds investigating and everyone's on their best behavior, or are things happening under the radar?
This blog has died. Goodbye Merc.
TIF funds and a new City Hall? Don't know the real answer to that, but.....anyone interested in what a TIF district really is, how they work and the funds they generate, can visit the site:
http://www.illinois-tif.com/index.asp
I found it an easy read and explains the process quite well. Check out "TIF FAQS" in their menu.
If its on the internet it must be true.
Funds is a cute word for taxes. There is nothing new about raising them. End the shell game.
TIF has been great for the engineers and the lawyers. It really sucks for the schools and the taxpayers.
Lets welcome back Fenney. This is going to be so much fun.
One of the best inspectors Chamblin ever had just retired named Bill. Next it will be Guy out the door and then all that is left is stupidity. I'm glad to see that another engineering firm has landed in Morris and that one from McHenry is supposedly looking for a location to go to in Coal City. The building they were looking at over there they couldn't get because the of Morris connections to it's ownership they raised the price on them. Silly cronies.
Will the city find a way to spend 12,000,000.00 tif dollars in 10 months? Or will they do the right thing and give it back to the schools.
The story going around town is that the Dist. 101 Board and Superintendent have sold out the schools and taxpayers by cutting a deal with the city on TIF.
Do we really want Brian Feeney back as alderman to take Jeff Paulson's place? I thought the citizens feelings when Brian left were - good riddance.
No we don't want him back! Ask him why he left? Ask him if he remebers what happened at the Rod and Gun Club?
Feeney couldn't get elected dogcatcher after he botched TIF, the landfill, Senreq and sold out his constituents on the papermill. If Kopczick appoints Feeney, it will be the end of both Brian and Dickie's political careers.
Stay tuned - Feeney's name has been mumbled......
The Dick & Brian Duo brought us such hits as the Community Landfill Debacle, Senreq Shenanagins, No Action on the Papermill, Taj Ma-City-Hall, The Million Dollar Lawyer and my personal favorite, the TIF Shell Game. Why would anyone be opposed to an encore performance?
I hear the city is going to make another $15,000 "donation." How about cutting spending and taxes instead? How is it that so many morons made it onto the city council?
Happy Saint Patrick's Day to Morris Government and vendors!!!!
Scooter wishes he was an engineer.
Post a Comment