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.
22 comments:
The Courant article is a must read. Such an arrogant attitude from the mayor! Keep up the good work Donna. I would be appalled if any city council member voted for an agreement they didn't read.
You will not believe the answers to questions in the Courant not only by the Mayor but also the 4 puppets. Dig deeper and you will find a Joliet lawyer with the attitude of God (Scooter II?). They say the public voted and trusts them to conduct public business outside of the public eye. All because they want to upstage any other town. It is time the Sheriff and County Board stop funding their police department on the backs of County taxpayers. For about $12,000 a year the County provides police service for a town claiming to be the size of Coal City which spends $1.5 million. Which brings up the point of mutual aid at Coal City taxpayers expense. Arrogant, cheap, illegal,and untrustworthy at everyones expense. They sound like a bunch of used car salesmen. All they need now is a clown in a tent to make it a first class circus. The stupidity of handing $3 million in sales tax back to Jewel when grocery stores are low sales revenue to begin with just to say "we have it, you don't". Well it's only two years away to show them the door at the voting booth
I do not care what town or who the Mayor is, do not trust anyone with taxpayer money making deals in the back room. Who really knows how much and who gets incentive rebates? They say in the newspaper every town does this secretly. I only know of two with lawyers that love this type of government.
Are these people for real? Something has got to be in the water.
Sounds like their Mayor is alot like ours. "SILENCE, my peasants!" Too bad we remember his past too, after strutting around for years they finally came to collect. Not enough people dropped their keys in the bowl to keep the tradition going. Not enough people at the meetings to pay attention to the goings on. Thanks to Commissioner Scholtes for speaking up, and thanks to the newspaper for telling the tale. The only way to stop these shenanigans is to expose them. This is the public's money you're handing out...NOT YOURS! Economic incentives shouldn't be treated like a car deal Mr. Mayor.
Every good deal should have paper work. If the Jewel is going to get $2 million back, just what does Diamond get back when the books are balanced? Come on now Mayor, is this a good deal financially for the town or is it just a sweetheart deal for the developer. You know, it does not cost the taxpayer anything but their future revenue. Maybe you think nobody will miss something they do not have already? So when is this happening or does $2 million come without guarantees?
What part of "open government" is so difficult for those elected and lawyers to understand? I do not know what motivates people to be so afraid or so shy that they are only comfortable doing everything secretly. Is this how they avoid looking dumb or making mistakes?
What I want from my board member:
1. Read all documents and become informed before voting
2. Ask lots of questions
3. Use independent judgment
4. Be suspicious of secret dealings
5. Vote the way you think is right, even if the mayor disagrees
Is Donna Sholtes the only one who understands her job?
I would say No, generally the other lady is very on top of things. Terry something, I can never remember her last name. I have heard many people speak highly of her and how courteous she is. She was involved with the sidewalk plan for the schools too. I think shes good but I don't know if shes afraid of the Mayor or not to speak up.
We don't need a rubber stamp village board.
Maybe Ramme should give up some economic incentives to the strip mall across the street from the Diamond Park. Especially since the know it all building inspector we had didn't have the walls properly braced, you'll never hear him admit to that error though. He wants some of us to put up two fences around our pools....just in case. Now he's on the planning and zoning committee acting like he's a genius there too. Now I am hearing stories of how they ran him out of the school board years ago. No wonder, some things never change. We need a sledgehammerdiamond site.
By the way, word is spreading like wildfire in Diamond Estates about this blog. C'mon - y'all join in!
The Mayor in our growing town North of the River in Grundy tells me about the taxes I have to spend so there are sweetheart deals with Mazon, Diamond,Carbon Hill, Verona, Kinsman, and the Sheriffs home town Gardner. They use the Sheriff for police and pay peanuts for the service. All the while the big towns of Channahon, Minooka, Morris, and Coal City pay the big bill of taxes to the County plus their City police forces. How about people paying for their own police? How about the County Board telling taxpayers how this works?
Why would he not let them read it and why can't the public know what's going on? I just don't get it. It seems like he is on a power trip about being the mayor of Diamond sorry pal it's a nothing in the big world.
Mayors are selective in who they offer incentives to. It usually goes to the out of towners first.
We have the same problem in Gardner with the TIF and all the land for big warehouses. It becomes the dream of people who think they have all of the answers and want fame at the expense of taxpayers. They think they can make things happen and yet their own lives are void of the success they think they can make happen on a community level. It is one thing to have community spirit and be in office. It is another thing to believe getting there also makes a person smart, intuitive, and righteous. Do a good job humbly but please stop throwing coins in the fountain or scratching development lottery cards, we all lose when you gamble.
I will never forget the smart mouth attitude of a school board member probably 20 years ago that basically said "butt out public!" He claimed he was elected to make decisions and did not have to explain his reasons to anyone. Ha Ha, he learned the hard way, took his ball and bat and moved out of town. Now he is back with a vengeance, prodding the Diamond Mayor in the background because they are birds of a feather, loving a warped lawyer, working behind closed doors oozing control, talking like he really knows what he is talking about but still cannot put a house at the correct elevation or understand what way water flows. This is what you get, a trip down the wrong path and everybody suffers.
Word on the street in Morris is developer for the latest (painted brown) back room deal is backing out. Delay to be announced at tonights meeting. He wants to know where is his $$$. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, says he! Should make for an interesting newspaper after tonights meeting. Maybe the Mayor will blame the reporter for the mess.
Anybody else connect the dots? Tonights Morris rag tells of a Gardner Commissioner wanting the clerk to record executive session minutes. NO, says the Mayor and other birds. The law demands written minutes and make a audio tape! Guess who the lawyer is? Sheriff the ex-commish? Scooter? Democrats? Connect the dots yet? Bad government? Bad advice? Big bills?
I just read the Morris Herald and found the article you are referring to. You mean to tell me that Scott Belt is Gardner's lawyer too? Does he charge them as much as he charges us?
Who is Diamond's lawyer? How much do they pay him an hour?
Do you really think Gardner will tell the truth about how much money is spent anywhere? Dare anyone to ask. The two ex comisshes still pull the strings. If one does not have you arrested the other one will f bomb you to no end in public. Both are connected at the hip to Scooter besides. Diamond is no different. They are a little more direct. If you do not live there they escort you out of the building or tell you to shut up at meetings. If you live there they give you the evil eye and then you get a private talk the next day to butt out or look out. They have an expensive Joliet SDS (like in txt msg) lawyer. He holds hands with other towns and a bunch of Mr. Bigs. You know, play both sides and the prize goes to the highest bidder.
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