Gracie and I were playing catch up on our websites. We decided to listen to the DeKalb City Council meeting via streaming to make best use of our time. About midway through the Committee of the Whole meeting I was in my truck headed for City Hall.

h/t Mark Charvat
I had just heard Tom Teresinski state that the TIF revenue forecasts did not support the projected additional costs of selling debt obligation bonds as TIF revenue bonds. So he and the rest of the council were leaning towards General Obligation bonds, as staff recommended.

Notes from a busy calendar:

What’s 118-feet high with a garbage truck on top?

Going into Day Three of the DeKalb County Landfill Expansion public hearing. I promise a full report when the hearing is over. The Chronicle has reports here and there. The Northern Star’s got coverage here. WLBK’s got some scoop here. The best source is live at the hearing as a participant.

I am deeply grateful to Dan Kenney for his leadership and effort; to Clay Campbell for all his help; to Gracie as always; and to the fb 730 or so who know who I’m talking about.

A deepening financial morass:

After the first all day session of the landfill public hearing was over I headed over to the DeKalb City Council and Finance Advisory Meeting. I was too tired to be effective. Too pooped to fight about anything. So I sat there and mulled over a survey I didn’t really fill out. Gave minimal input because I was confused. And I’m starting to feel a little like Rodney Dangerfield.

This is the report I submitted. An email asking me to fill out a survey was never received so I guess Rudy took my report and matched up my input with the survey answers to get a 100% survey response. More on that later.

It looks like the staff either agrees to a 12% cut in pay or they’ll face a 12% cut in jobs. That could mean a loss of some of our most experienced staff because such a salary cut would mean a reduction in pensions for employees near the end of their careers. More on that later, too.

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

February 22, 2010

To the casual observer, this past week’s House debates may have seemed brief and surprisingly dull.  Many people from around the state came to Springfield hoping to see some debate on the budget and our fiscal crisis.  The conductor of the session calendar (Speaker Madigan) isn’t going to let that happen.  Days are full of committee meetings so bill sponsors have to run from committee to committee to present their legislation and are preoccupied.

In reality, this time of year in Springfield is all about meetings and presentations to committees.  This process, hopefully, ensures that the legislation that is eventually brought to the House floor has been discussed thoroughly and improved through amendments and negotiations with affected parties.

Sale of State Asset Legislation Advances

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Dan Kenney
Chair of Stop the De Kalb County Mega Dump

Stop the DeKalb County Mega Dump citizens’ group is outraged by the attempt of the county board and of the county administration to circumvent the democratic process.

The group has a copy of an email sent from DeKalb County Administrator Ray Bockman to the elected County Board members. The email states: “Unlike the windfarm, the hearing process for the landfill expansion forbids not only any contact with the applicant (Waste Mgt.) but also with any other interested parties. Whether they are for or against the application, whether they are your constituents or not contact with them is prohibited.”

“If this is legal, the citizens of the county should be told who created these rules and when.” Dan Kenney, chair of the citizens’ group stated. “Did our county board members create a process that prevents elected representatives from talking with their constituents, and if so why?”

The Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump group calls for a full accounting of a process that prevents citizens from talking with their elected officials about a matter that will affect De Kalb County for generations to come.

The proposed landfill expansion will bring 90 semi-truck loads of garbage from 16 northeast Illinois Counties dumping over 2,000 tons of garbage per day. The landfill will double in size to over 500 acres. It will eventually be over 50 feet high for 2.5 miles. It will be filled to capacity in 46 years. At our present rate, and allowing for projected population growth, if we just took care of our own garbage the landfill capacity at the projected expansion would last our community over 160 years.

“Why is the county willing to saddle the next generation with a mountain of garbage from surrounding counties and force them to look else where for places to dispose of their garbage?” Dan Kenney, asked. “I guess we won’t know what our elected government officials think of this expansion until its too late, because they are prohibited from having any contact with us.”

“If you are upset by a county board that would enter into an agreement that prevents democracy or concerned about the proposed landfill expansion you are urged to attend a public meeting this Thursday night, February 25^th , 7pm  at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 153 North 4^th Street, De Kalb.” Dan Kenney said.

For more information call Dan Kenney 815.793.0950 or visit Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump on line or on Facebook.