The Squeeze Next Time

After much work by staff, Downers Grove has come up with a levy for next year that is, for practical purposes, the same as this year.  That’s a notable achievement.  On our real estate property tax bills next year there won’t be a larger dollar amount for the village’s slice of the real estate tax pie.

Strategic Plan Plans

Every goal has a strategy how to get to that goal, and every strategy has a plan.  Staff has taken it a step further with plans for specific items within the Strategic Plan.  The Plan’s plan…

Red Light Cameras Go Out To Bid

Village moves forward on increasing revenues via RLC.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that Red Light Cameras do not enhance safety, despite the fact Police Departments with RLC are asking for them to be taken away, despite the problems communities have had with them, despite how RLC companies have left a trail of campaign contributions, despite the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety being the only proponent of RLC, Downers Grove on Thursday November 20th released a Request For Proposals for Red light Cameras.

Council To Discuss Strategic Plan Implementation

Is it go time for the top and high priority action agenda items identified in the 2008-2013 Strategic Plan?

EDC & Village to DeVry: Let’s Talk

Come on in...

This is a pleasant piece of news reflecting continued work by the EDC and village staff.  DeVry Technical Institute, first established in 1931, is in discussions about moving their corporate headquarters and university facility to the north side of DG, and it has progressed to a point where Mike Baker is bringing to council an Economic Development Agreement with DeVry for consideration, and approval to move forward.

King Bob Moving Up?

Done saving DuPage County, maybe looking at State-wide office.

On the up side, he couldn’t possibly do worse than future convict Blago.  On the reality side, his DuPage County history shows he’d give that standard a sure test.  1/2% sales tax “for transportation” that Birkett and Zaruba stamped their feet for so they could pay their people more, a budget that totters on unsustainable legs, pay for play that takes a back seat to no one, financing straw dog candidates to run against board members he doesn’t like, using his office for personal gain…

…I guess he is eminently qualified for state office after all.

David Brooks Makes Sense

I usually stick to local events, but the forming lines of badly run companies looking to the federal government for bailout money really hits a nerve.  I’ve been reading news feeds for years documenting the failure of Detroit car makers to do anything but pad their own nests.  And now they want us to give them money so they can keep the disaster going.  No solutions, just gimme gimme gimme.

NYT columnist David Brooks doesn’t always get it right, but he makes a solid point here. This I consider a must read for every taxpayer, then send an email to your representatives in congress.  There’s no excuse to reward failure.  If Honda and Toyota and Nissan become our largest domestic automakers it will be because they run their businesses better and offer better product.

Fiddling Around While 58 Burns?

What about the children!?!

The District 58 School Board met Monday to fight with Scott O’Connell again.  Oh, wait, they’re trying to figure out what tax rate they should charge on our real estate tax bills that provide their main chunk of revenue.  Sorry, my bad; all they ever seem to do is listen to a couple kids fight.  Plus they’re talking about housing market values going down as a reason to need more money, and that isn’t how it works; it’s EAV that counts and that went up 6%.  Plus, they have a budget deficit this year with no plan in place to address that deficit, and no long range planning.

The good news just keeps coming…

RLC: Lobby+Contribute=Payoff

Redspeed Illinois got busy in 2007 and started lobbying and contributing to build up political capital.  So far in 2008 they haven’t let up at all, spreading the wealth around to include over 30 elected officials in the collar counties and communities where RLC are allowed by the Illinois legislators.  Now I guess my question is if RLC were about safety, why do they have to lobby and buy off officials?

Just following the play book written by the IIHS…

Budget Levy

Still looking for the $200,000 that keeps total tax $$ taken even with last year.

Note: This represents approximately 11% of the total appropriation for the 2009 budget, and accurately reflects what will probably be needed from real estate taxes receipts.  This is for the village portion of your tax bill only.

RLC: Cincinnati Revolts

Yes, they can.

“It is not just a civil process, but a summary civil process in front of a City magistrate.  It is a sham of a pretense of due process.  In reality, it is a cash register ringing up cash for the City.”

wedemandavote.com

“By altering the basic premise of law enforcement—from protecting and serving to making money for government—City Hall has taken a small step towards implementing an oppressive police state where the interests of government take precedent over the interests of the people they are supposed to serve”

Cincinnati Beacon

The Mess on Fairview Besides Zoning

What’s going on here?  Don’t our government agencies sync data with each other?

RLC In Chicago

It’s about revenue, and Chicago really knows it.

Planning: “Yeah, We Could Do That.”

Looking everywhere except directly in front of me.

After writing about shoving information under our noses to get us to notice, boy did I waste some time. A bunch of research into elements of good planning, master planning, comprehensive planning; examples and studies of all of the above, all triggered by some thinking out loud a couple days ago.

Fairview Village: Council Votes 6-1 To Deny

Denied

Council tonight effectively killed Fairview Villages proposal for a four building, 32 unit high end senior development on the west side of Fairview Avenue by approving a motion to deny their rezoning request.  As expected, council members cited failure to meet the requirements for rezoning.  The lone dissenter, Commissioner Durkin, voted against the denial, saying it was a good project by a good group that put people to work at an uncertain time, and provided a natural buffer.

Residents once again turned out in force.  It’s pretty impressive they’ve stayed on task on and off for over 6 years trying to keep their neighborhood single family residential.

It also churned up more discussion on the need for a new Comprehensive Plan, a recurring theme at tonights meeting.

Planning: Yes, Please

“In a progressive country change is constant; and the great question is not whether you should resist change which is inevitable, but whether that change should be carried out in deference to the manners, the customs, the laws and the traditions of a people, or whether it should be carried out in deference to abstract principles, and arbitrary and general doctrines.” Benjamin Disraeli

What is Downers Grove?

Zoning Schizophrenia

On Tuesday council will consider opposing an upzoning request in unincorporated Downers Grove at College Road from single family residential to R-5 high density multifamily residential, and supporting an upzoning request in incorporated Downers Grove at Fairview Avenue from single family residential to R-5a high density multifamily residential.

The difference?  The unincorporated area has already had it’s single family zoning broken by the higher density multifamily development at Maple and Elinore, and Fairview Avenue has already had it’s zoning broken by a higher density multifamily development just south of Fairview and 63rd.

Another difference? In the case of unincorporated DG, a strong majority of residents opposed the zoning change.  On Fairview Avenue, a strong majority of the residents oppose the zoning change.

Huh?