...In Downers Grove

Moving

2008-03-20T08:33:00.011-05:00

I am moving this over to Wordpress. www.indg.wordpress.com ...in Downers Grove

I am keeping the same name, but I just can not get the "more" function to work properly here, and over there it is easy.

I would like to see DGreport, Elaine Johnson's much larger effort, be a success, and will always try and contribute to the dialog there.

Schillerstrom to DG: it is good to be king

2008-03-19T22:30:00.000-05:00

After a half year of asking and being ignored, the Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DGACOCAI) Legislative Council met Monday with DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, looking to get a commitment that part of the $20 million in newly minted sales tax revenues ($40 million next year) could help move the Belmont Avenue underpass forward.

As reported by Mayor Sandack and Commissioner Waldack, and verified by several others: it’s good to be King (Bob)…

Waldack painted a fairly grim assesment of DG’s prospects of getting any of those millions earmarked for transportation. Sandack put a game face on and vowed to keep pushing forward looking for money solutions, and DG business leaders and elected officials hung it out there trying to get an $8.5 million shortfall covered so the funding can be locked in for good and the project can finally, after 10 years, finally begin.

Schillerstrom pretty much said “I’m all for it, I’m all ears, cooperation is important.” But offered no concrete commitments for even Dollar One of the $40 million (each year) sales tax bonanza rigged up by Gov. Blag to bail out public transportation.

Why? Because DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom got three little words put into the transportation bill, “and public safety“, and that means he doesn’t have to use the tens of millions of dollars, earmarked for transportation projects, on actual transportation projects-like the Belmont underpass.

Now, he can spend it on his favorite pastime, making county government bigger.

Faced with an out of control budget due to so many facets of poor public policy and disgraceful public management that minds numb merely contemplating the scope, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom did what any self respecting king would do: he changed the rules and looted the treasury for his own needs . The County Sheriff and the county Prosecutors office will be able to keep themselves fully staffed. No job cuts or budgets trimmed now that there’s all this money-supposedly for transportation-that they can now use to make government bigger and fatter.

This year, a $20 million windfall; next year $40 million. That is a lot of taxpayer cash to cover up some pretty big problems at County. But not a dollar, not a dime for a transportation project that is crying out for funding. So the Blemont Avenue underpass, after 10 years, in view of the finish line to get it locked in and get it going, is stopped short and is gasping for wind.

And DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, as he drove by, said he was all about cooperation, but hasn’t offered any real help to get it done.

But he waved as he drove by…

No more flag lots

2008-03-19T20:19:00.001-05:00

Council voted unanimously tonight to amend the muni code so as to ban further flag lots in Downers Grove. Commissioner Tully said he was looking forward to this day for seven years, and he had much to do with shepherding the ban through to approval.

Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance came out early in support of this ban, citing four main reasons, which we wrote up and sent in to the Village Manager for inclusion in the public record.

My comments tonight are as a director of the Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance. We have written a letter, agreed to unanimously by the board, to support the ordinance before you tonight banning flag lots from Downers Grove. It’s nice for us all, residents and government to be together on the right side of this issue at hand here tonight.

The stated purpose of flag lots in our current code – to provide best use for irregularly shaped lots – is no longer applicable. The historical use of flag lots – to provide rural areas with development opportunities – no longer applies here either.

By eliminating flag lots the village will realize several benefits:

Trees will be preserved that would have fallen from construction. This inadvertent but welcome presage of a private tree ordinance would prevent unwarranted clear cutting of property for what council clearly acknowledges is unwarranted development. As supporters of our nature areas and for supporting education about our surrounding nature, such as the Little Sprouts Park District program for 1^st graders we help fund each year, PDHA are pleased by this tree preservation.
Stormwater problems will not be aggravated in the neighborhood by removing said trees, and also by making a large percentage of the former backyard impermeable, as well as paving an impermeable driveway of considerable size. “Do no further harm” should be a watch phrase of future development, and this is a strong clear first step to codify that simple yet laudable goal.
Property values will be enhanced rather than reduced, as the neighborhood character is protected rather than compromised. Deep lots with private back yards have a proven extra value. A large backyard area also adds desirable character to a neighborhood. Having a house next door or two doors down in the neighborhood’s backyard area reduces privacy, reduces value of the neighbors’ property and the EAV of the entire block, and negatively impacts the character of the neighborhood.
As Commissioner Neustadt has already ably pointed out, the safety of the particular flag house, neighbors houses, and the neighborhood are compromised with unwarranted flag lot development.

Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance has provided a letter to the Village Manager which, while it need not be read here now, we would request be placed in the public minutes, as written, to show our unanimous support for what staff is recommending, for the language of the ordinance amendments as presented before council for your consideration and, hopefully, for council’s passage tonight.

On behalf of the Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance, I thank you for your time, consideration, and hopefully for your approval of this ordinance tonight.

So that was a win situation for both residents and government. A hat tip to staff for being responsible to the public trust.

X Chords

2008-03-15T13:55:00.007-05:00

The University of Illinois a capella group The Xtension Chords (known as the X Chords) are competing Saturday night in the midwest ICCA semi finals at Northwestern University. My son Brian is in the group, as is Phil and Paula Vettel's son Ed. Brian went to DGS, Ed went to DGN; both sides of town are represented by this very talented, funny group.

The X Chords are not supported by the U of I, they are mostly not music majors; they just like to sing, are good at it, and enjoy it. They all crashed at our house last night. I fed them all breakfast at the crack of 11:00am, and will be cheering them on tonight.

UPDATE: X Chords finished second in the competition. Northwestern's Purple Haze advances to the finals competition in April.

Climate Change Seminar

2008-03-13T21:51:00.000-05:00

The Northern Illinois Conference of United Methodist Churches will sponsor an informational seminar on Global Warming in response to the current scientific data indicating that climate change will have a significant impact on human kind. Anyone interested in understanding more about global warming are invited to attend.

An array of subject matter surrounding the issue will be presented by well qualified speakers.

Dr. Jan P. Hessler, Research Professor at IIT will address the science of Global Warming and Solutions,
Rebecca Stanfield, State Director of Environment Illinois, will speak on Climate Hazards,
Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, will address the Public Health Impact,
Christy Smith of United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) will give perspective on disaster relief, and
Dr. Jonathan Dean, Associate Pastor at Downers Grove First United Methodist Church will speak about the Theological Basis for Addressing Global Warming.
Participating in an action panel discussion and question and answer session will be Rebecca Stanfield, Environment Illinois, Lonnie Morris, Sierra Club, Rev. Clare Butterfield Executive Director of Faith in Place, and Dave Schulz Co-chairperson of the Environmental Stewardship Committee at Downers Grove First UMC.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 19, 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM, at First United Methodist Church, 1032 Maple Ave., Downers Grove. The event is free of charge, but attendees are asked to pre-register for planning purposes by calling the church office, 630-968-7120.

Things We Left Behind

2008-03-11T21:05:00.001-05:00

Relative Measures Per Resident Part Two

2008-03-09T09:47:00.006-05:00

I rarely get many comments, but DGDood scraped a nerve here, saying in comments:

You should post this over at DGreport. More people need to see how we overpay. One reason local government wants to get this big stormwater public works project going is so they become indispensable cogs in that gravy train.

and three days later:

You still haven't put this over at DGreport. Chicken? Don;t want to upset anyone? I'll do it if you won't. Where did you get the info?

This is where reports are put on-line at Daniel Hynes Office of the Comptroller. Municipalities are required to file annual standardized reports. It piqued my interest because DG has yet to file their 2007 report.

My original intent was to examine how very high debt like Hoffman Estates can effect budgeting due to TIC's (Total Interest Cost)of carrying debt. I found the tangential staff comparisons interesting because some municipalities like Wheaton seem to get by with less.

2006	Wheaton	Downers Grove
Population*	55,416	48,274
Total Appropriation	83,669,691	78,362,884
Total Debt	52,455,000	50,526,332
Interest Payments	2,032,558	1,807,619
Principle Payments	2,345,000	650,000
Employees FT	274	360
Employees PT	106	75
Employee Cost	18,020,489	31,617,304
EAV	1,807,481,291	2,057,634,957
Miles of Streets	165	165
Land Area Sq. Miles	11.52	14.4
Acres of Parks	800	600

There could be further breakdown to find where the differences are by department, but I do not have a driving interest in stirring that pot.

Be my guest DGDood. Do your own research and blog it wherever you like.

Somebody is getting it right...

2008-03-07T20:10:00.009-06:00

On March 10 at the village council workshop, staff will forward new language and changes to Section 20 of the municipal code that will effectively end the practice of "flag lots" in Downers Grove.

Flag lots are usually permitted in rural and developing municipalities to allow development of back-land areas while still maintaining their rural character. We have long since passed that point, and flag lots have created the unusual presence of homes seemingly in other peoples back yards. While the flag house usually faces the rear of the house in front of them, they also impinge upon the backyards of homes to either side, and these are usually the residents who show up at Plan Commission meetings protesting flag lot partitions.

The last flag lot was approved in DG over 5 years ago, and the council has has consistently voted not to approve requests for flag lot splits.

While I have spoken about staff's inability to craft good ordinances, it does not take much to see that the changes and deletions requested by staff here are spot-on. Very targeted in what they are trying to accomplish, the code language is clear, to the point, and beyond debate.

There appears to be a strong rational basis laid out in the background information provided by staff. That is also a good sign; changes that have a strong rational basis hold up under court challenge.

Someone is on their toes here, clearly thinking ahead. Eliminating flag lots eliminates the possibility of large homes in backyard areas causing new water problems for the neighborhood. It also eliminates the need to take out large areas of backyard mature tree growth-trees that help us in many ways. All good.

Heritage Tree Ordinance Part 4

2008-03-06T20:42:00.014-06:00

For staff who wants it put off because they are just too busy, they sure got busy in just one week.

UPDATE & RECOMMENDATION

This item was discussed at the February 26, 2008 Workshop.

Staff recommends approval of the motion to delay further discussion of this matter until the summer of 2008 as part of the Strategic Planning process. Based upon the Council’s discussion staff would propose the following prior to Strategic Planning:
Scheduling a presentation at a future Workshop meeting by the Morton Arboretum to provide information to both the public and Council regarding this matter; and
Schedule and promote a virtual town hall meeting on the Village website to allow for public comment regarding private property tree preservation; and
Schedule and promote a town hall meeting to allow for public comment regarding private property tree preservation.

The good news is Morton Arboretum will make a presentation. They have advised most communities who have a Heritage Tree Ordinance (HTO), and will provide a ton of information on the benefits of large trees, why they should be preserved, why a village tree canopy is important enough to be critical, and why even private property trees should be preserved.

The next step is for the Council to determine if there is consensus to direct staff to prepare a private property tree preservation ordinance for consideration. Staff would ask for a minimum of 90 days to prepare a recommended ordinance. Policy details that would be established in a recommended ordinance include:
Definition of Heritage trees (e.g. Heritage trees could be defined as the oldest, largest and most important native component of the Downers Grove urban forest such as oaks and sugar maples over 24 inches in diameter and hickories over 18 inches in diameter)
Determine relevance, if any, of tree canopy coverage
Creation of a public hearing process for private property Heritage tree removal in the absence of building construction activity
Determination of what level of private property improvements/building construction activity would trigger Village review of a privately prepared Tree Survey and Tree Preservation Plan (for the purpose of identifying Heritage trees and the impact of private property construction activities on said trees – such surveys and plans are prepared by a private, licensed arborist)
Determination of application fees for Village review of Tree Survey and Tree Preservation Plan
Codification that removal of private property Heritage trees would be permitted, however property owners would be subjected to a financial penalty when removing Heritage trees
Determination of appropriate financial penalty for removal of Heritage trees.

The bad part is then it is up to staff to decide what gets covered, and whether what Morton will tell them has any relevance to what staff wants to see in an ordinance.

Also note that now they have actually gone ahead and chummed the waters with references to fines and procedures that residents must follow: well, you all can read the above and the whole text of the green sheets here, and listen to what council had to say on Feb 26th at the workshop, or read it here in the minutes, and listen to what they said here at the council meeting on March 3rd.

Those who stand guard for private property rights will be well advised to begin circling. I will be thrilled if we ever have an HTO that prevents unwarranted* clear cutting of property by developers. Instead, here we go; a major undertaking for writing a complex ordinance that creates new processes, new procedures, new responsibilities for residents, new fines, all that directly impact the resident-where there is no problem.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem. If council sticks their head in the sand and does not define what the ordinance needs to cover, and instead allows staff to put forward a complex convoluted ordinance, they will get it wrong: they have a strong recent history for getting it wrong. Putting this off to the strategic planning process (no longer being considered for the TCD3 citizen summit?) moves it to an already crowded agenda with a short time frame from start to finish.

In order to have an effective HTO that addresses our needs and does not trash resident rights, we will have to turn out and be heard. We will have to do the heavy lifting again, just to make sure we do not get trampled in the rush to do nothing.

* un·war·rant·ed (ŭn-wôr'ən-tĭd)
adj. Having no justification; groundless: unwarranted interference.
See Synonyms baseless, indefensible, undue.

Relative Measures Per Resident

2008-03-04T22:12:00.015-06:00

I got the idea for this from Evanston Now, who ran a significantly more in depth analysis among Evanston and two nearby communities.

This is the populations as per the official 2000 census. The populations for all 5 communities, according to the individual websites, have remained relatively constant, and roughly similar.

This graph shows the 2007 total appropriations for each community. Note that Hoffman Estates has a large appropriation to service huge debt. DG is pretty middle of the road here.

The above shows the appropriation expressed on a per resident basis. Given most of these communities have a similar package of services, except for the shuttle, it is a reasonable measuring yardstick to see how we stack up. This does not include any of the $75 million initial stormwater borrowings that could occur this year.

Again, here we are in the pack. Note that Hoffman Estates has almost a quarter BILLION dollars in debt. That will also be us in a couple years if we go 'all in' on the stormwater plan.
Expressed on a per resident basis.
This graph shows the Total Staff Payroll for the communities.
Not only does Downers Grove pay more for similar sized staffs,
once the per resident costs are factored in, our village government staff costs are by far the highest of any similarly sized community.

Heritage Tree Ordinance Part 3

2008-02-29T19:09:00.003-06:00

Some residents say we do not need any ordinance, that there is no problem with clear cutting property. Even lawyers suddenly do not remember definitions of words like unwarranted when facing the complexity of a simple ordinance.

I would ask this: Do you live next to a clear cut lot that was built out and now, as a direct result, have water problems? I have talked directly to residents who do now have water problems, and they do live next to, or near, property that has been clear cut and built out. It is not a coincidence: it is a direct connection.

Since it did not happen to me, there is no problem, and no need for a solution, is a novel, but not new, way to look at things.

Trees are irrefutably linked to reduction of flooding. To think otherwise is to deny the suns' rise in the east. The village is asking taxpayers to shell out $340 million to fix all the past water flooding problems caused by innocent ignorance and willful irresponsibility. To then not try and minimize future problems in even the smallest way is fiscally and socially irresponsible.

2008-02-28T19:00:00.002-06:00

I am an alumni of Northern Illinois University.
Three of my many classes were held in Cole Hall.

My sympathies and prayers go out to those families
and friends who had loved ones there that sad day.

Heritage Tree Ordinance Part 2

2008-02-23T09:45:00.005-06:00

"Go away. We're busy."

The Village Manager and staff have decided the “Heritage Tree Ordinance” (HTO) is not going to happen right now. Unless someone on council takes exception to it, it will be left on the back burner. That is too bad. We need a responsible, moderate, heritage tree ordinance now, so we can measure and adjust it if needed in the future.

First and foremost, this is not a case of the Village barging in and stealing property rights. Why? Because we do not have a problem with tree removals outside of construction. We should not fix what is not broken. This is not a property rights issue. Residents consistently rank protecting and maintaining trees and tree canopies as a top concern.

A decently written conservative HTO for private property should only affect trees on private property in four situations:
1) If a demolition permit is requested;
2) If a major addition is undertaken;
3) If a new subdivision is planned (not likely anymore); and
4) As part of the Planned Unit Development process.

Trees have a very real fiscal and environmental function and impact. Trees affect air quality, reduce the urban heat island effect, reduce energy demands, assist with stormwater management, benefit public health (emotional and physical), and have a positive economic impact on property values in a community.

Trees make money.

Trees are good business. Very large trees are very good business. Large trees increase property values. Ask any realtor: all other things being equal, which sells for more; house with big trees, or house with no trees? It is not a coincidence that many realtor initiated redevelopment projects save trees where they can. Big trees add a sense of permanence and quality to any home. A McMansion set in big trees looks less like a McMansion.

Maybe a realtor can add a comment on that, but one of the reasons we have higher property values is the tree canopy.

Trees save us from ourselves.

6CO2+5H2O = C6H10O5 + 6O2
Read Part 1 for more. The conversion of carbon dioxide to oxygen is extremely efficient. Plugging the numbers into the equation, 600 gallons of water that a big tree can absorb in one day, about 2 ½ tons, combines with about 7 ½ tons of carbon dioxide and gives off about 5 ½ tons of oxygen, transpires a variable amount of water as water vapor (why it is cooler under the tree) and adds a ton or so to the weight of the tree above and below ground. Did I mention trees are huge carbon sinks?

Quit stalling.

Staff does not feel staff is up to this right now. Come back in six months. That's stalling. Nothing will have changed in 6 months. The village will be neck deep in construction, up to their eyeballs in anothger excuse to do nothing. This relates directly to our poor current building and construction codes. I would urge the council to direct staff to do a bit of multitasking, and come up with a modest proposal that covers the four points outlined above. It would require only minor modification of the original proposal written over three years ago. Staff does not have to reinvent a totally new ordinance. They have even done the homework of looking at the key features of more than a dozen other cities and villages that already have this type of ordinance. We do not need a grand slam home run, we just need to get on base.

We do not need perfect that covers every contingency, we need a solid ordinance that gives us a starting point, that gives the village a mechanism to preserve trees that should be preserved, that clearly lays out expectations of builders, that protects trees that have been around for far longer than we have, and have every right to be around far longer than we will.

Heritage Tree Ordinance (Part 1)

2008-02-17T15:57:00.024-06:00

6CO2+5H2O = C6H10O5 + 6O2

Trees take in carbon dioxide and water, both things we have too much of here in DG, fix the carbon to the water to make...more tree (cellulose), and exhale the remaining oxygen. Most trees have root structures that are wide and shallow to gather nutrients and water, and maybe some soil based carbon. A fully grown tree can absorb up to 600 gallons of water in a 24 hour period. Once the soil surrounding a root structure has been flooded or saturated, that ability is greatly diminished; that is why many trees die if their surroundings get too wet.

Some trees, like swamp oaks, red maples, river birches, keep soaking up water whether or not the ground is saturated. They adapted to the marshy lowland prairies where we now live. Willows are the midwest champs for soaking up water, but they grow fast and are weak, and tend to fall over in high winds.

Shade trees have expansive canopies for several reasons; to collect gaseous carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas), to collect sunlight as the trees' power source for the chemical reactions, and to transpire out the oxygen and excess water vapor.

Oak, maple, hickory, can get very big and live a long time. There are many in Downers Grove over 100 years old, very large, usually over two feet in diameter at chest height (Diameter Breast Height, or DBH). They do a lot for us besides keep us in shape picking up fallen sticks and branches every spring and raking leaves every fall, and providing homes for birds and squirrels and other wildlife. When Pierce Downer moved here, he set up his homestead near a grove of trees. No trees, no Pierce Downer, no Downers Grove.

By blocking direct sunlight and transpiring water vapor into the air, trees provide a cooler shaded area. A big enough tree shades one or more homes, effectively reducing energy costs to cool a home in summer. They act as wind breaks, reducing energy costs of heating in winter. They soak up water, reducing the effect of heavy rains. They slow the movement of water run off. They clean up water by acting as a natural filter. They exhale oxygen into the air. In a village with stormwater problems that cost many millions to fix, and in a world obsessed with global warming and greenhouse gases, that matters.

In 2005, the village enacted specific measures to protect public and parkway trees. Proposed by the Village Forester, it was a direct response to development killing trees, primarily by damaging the root structure and the tree trunk. Before, trees were in the way; now, trees must be protected to their drip line with a chain link fence, and no materials or vehicles can damage them.

At that time, the Village Forester also proposed similar protections for "heritage" trees on private property that were deferred for future consideration. In a few weeks staff will bring council a "heritage" tree ordinance that will effect large, mature trees of a specific type, size and age. Last time, two years ago, the proposal was fairly extensive and ambitious.

Most communities use a tree preservation ordinance as a tool when working with developers. Rules and requirements are clearly set down in writing so there is no misunderstanding of the expectation and intention to preserve large "heritage" trees. Builders in communities that have such an ordinance cannot simply clear cut properties and then design a project. Instead, there is a survey of trees on the property, and, in meetings with staff, decisions are made regarding what happens to the "heritage" trees.

What matters is trees help us and contribute to the desirability, the livability, of the village as a whole. We will lose our ash trees to the Emerald Ash Borer: a certainty that is no longer a discussion topic for all but the most grossly uninformed. That 18.6% of our public tree canopy goes away is not trivial; ash trees are efficient helpers that will not be replaced for many years. We have no more margin for error. We need all of our trees, or as many as we can keep to help our village through the next 40 years: not just trees on public land, all trees.

There has been significant talk by residents about what such an ordinance should and should not do; whether it is needed or not. Everyone likes trees, but a tree ordinance that crosses over to private property collides with personal property rights. No one wants government interfering with their personal lives, wants being told what they can and cannot do on their own property.

When the village publishes the green sheet information on February 22 we should have a better idea of the scope and purpose of the proposed ordinance.

Interview With Mayor Sandack

2008-02-14T16:27:00.014-06:00

Note: This started as an offshoot of discussions and postings here and at DGreport.com. I specifically would like to thank everyone who participated with questions, whether I used them or not.

We all can have different opinions, but in the end we all have something akin to affection for the village we live in: that is why we care, and that is why we share common ground.

Mayor Sandack, thank you for participating in this on-line interview, and let’s jump right in.

What do you see as the top three agenda items for 2008 now that stormwater is being addressed?

Storm-water implementation; other important capital projects like roads, sidewalks and water-lines; Village budget; and the Belmont Underpass (yes, I know that’s four).

What’s been the toughest campaign promise to follow up on?

The revised ethics ordinance was fairly challenging as there was some spirited debate. But that’s a good thing—high-minded policy discussion is what our Village deserves on important matters.

Is your leadership style more like:

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, or Captain Jean luc Picard?

Why would anyone suggest these two?

What is your early take on the PACE circulator plan?

Conceptually it is interesting. But from a financial perspective I believe it may well be impossible to implement without being cost prohibitive. I am not jumping to any conclusions and will wait for all of the information. Admittedly, I am skeptical it is doable as conceived.

What’s your favorite beer at Emmitt’s?

1 a.m., and the other ale (can’t remember its name).

Do the people you work with ever razz you about being a mayor?

Sure. That’s natural, isn’t it?

Will we ever see a Belmont underpass?

I believe so and am working feverishly on it. See the article I wrote for The Grover if you want a thumbnail sketch of the history and present status.

Thank you, Mayor, that ends our interview…and now,

The Lightening Round! 20 Questions!!!

1. Ready?

No. But have at it.

Correct.

2. Mayor of Woodridge?

Mayor William F. Murphy.

Correct.

3. What item was purchased for fire and police vehicles in 2006, but that the village hopes never get used?

AED’s Automated Electronic Defribulators. If they get used that means it’s a life and death situation. They been used successfully and they are affectionately called the “George Board” after my friend, George Nicholaou.

Correct.

4. Population of Downers Grove?

50,616 give or take.

Correct.

5. Airspeed of a fully laden swallow?

African or European?

Correct.

6. Who said “The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving.”?

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Correct.

7. What kind of car do you really want?

An American well-used one. My wife rides in luxury, not me.

Incorrect. You want a used Yugo with racing stripes.

Wait, no I don’t…

8. Think you will ever grow your beard back?

That depends. My wife prefers that I don’t so it may not re-appear.

Correct.

9. Mayor of Lombard?

William J. Mueller.

Incorrect, Lombard does not have a Mayor, they have a Village President.

That’s a trick question.

Correct.

10. Sox or Cubs?

People who know me well know the answer. Pass.

Correct.

11. When was the last time you saw a liar with his pants on fire?

Never?

Correct.

12. Is U of I the best school ever or what?

Yes.

Incorrect. School of Rock is the answer I was looking for.

13. If you were Matt Hasselbeck, and council was your offensive line, how many times would you get sacked by the NY Giants?

Many times.

Correct.

14. What is it about Chad Walz?

Chad, who?

Correct.

15. How many TIF Districts in Downers Grove?

Two.

16. How many alternate fuels does DG use in their fleet?

Four

17. How many eggs in a half dozen?

Six

18. What number comes after 7?

Eight

19. Who do we appreciate?

Quite a few, my family, friends, our village…

Correct.

20. Will you accept this certificate of good sportsmanship for the first ever DGreport official officials interview?

Can’t. That would violate our ethics policy. Thanks anyway.

Correct.

17 out of 20 correct with one bonus correct question. That sets a very high bar for the next official interview. Your pick: who would you like to see next?

Is it okay if I get back to you on that?

Are Blogs The Knife That Cuts Too Deep?

2008-02-10T13:05:00.000-06:00

Everyone has read or been involved in lack of government transparency at some time in their life. Why didn’t someone tell me? When were they going to tell us? What reasoning went into this? Why? WHY?

In 2007, I was point in a skirmish with our local government over a lack of transparency, of deliberate opaqueness. This was the C&D issue; you would have to be deaf dumb and blind not to know about it. I gave up on the demand for transparency when the outcome was favorable.

Although many credit me with a so-called win, I do not know what went on to change every council members vote. I want to think it was me; that my sheer tenacious diligence won them over, but I know better. My efforts would have been useless without help behind that opaque curtain, help that changed the direction and outcome. The village acquiesced to what had become a combined resident/business community concern over the issue, but I was not sure how it happened.

During the whole time, I blogged furiously about everything I learned, everything I researched, everything I thought about. I ended up with a cacophony of a blog site, markthoman.googlepages.com, that was out of sequence, jammed with information, hard to follow, and packed with facts, presentations, commentary: a wild and woolly assault on not only the villages mistaken attempt to short circuit the EPA, but on orderly discourse, and rational organization. More than one friend said it was so hard to follow, it itself was guilty of not being transparent because of the effort it took to sort through it all.

What about blog transparency? I have been at the table in the blog backroom with Elaine Johnson, EJ as her site followers call her, creator and driving force behind DGreport.com. I cannot speak to her reasons for starting it, but it started during the 2006 election cycle. That contentious election, for mayor, for 58, and for 99, got people talking like never before. DGreport provided a public house on-line setting where candidates responded to questions that in turn were commented upon by any and everyone who wished. EJ also pumped out commentary and reports on politics and other topics, and any and all could have equal say.

At the same time, Bill White started up Wired Grove. He had multiple pages for different topics, and had a set of rules for posting that forbade personal attacks. There are still some posts up, in particular exchanges between Wes Jaros and a sock puppet, and Bill White, where the sock puppet ignores proper behavior, and an exchange between Bob Lemke and Phil Labat that shows the type of acrimony that ran as an undercurrent to the 99 campaign.

Bill attempted to impose fairly strict rules on his website, yet the only posts of any consequence were the aforementioned comment shouting matches. The site was poorly attended by candidates, most of whom failed to respond to his fairly straight up requests. His insistance an strict behavior, and those requests failing to hold, may have kept involvement down. The site has been 'dark' since May of last year.

On DGreport, EJ started out with similar restrictions, but was very adamant about her belief in free speech, and spoke directly to the need for manners and responsibility in "Runaway Train" where she picked her ideas and desires apart in front of her readers. She asked that people not get carried away with personal attacks, and was pretty much ignored by everybody, including Bill White from Wired Grove. The knives came out quick and often, and they cut away at both mayoral candidates failure to act on problems in their four and eight years on the dais. Proxies for both candidates traded blows on a regular basis.

A key difference for DGreport was the single main page topic track, and the (added later) single DGtalk track that made posting more concentrated, and easier to figure out. Some of those early topic starters had pretty sharp edges. EJ has kept DGreport.com up and running, adding news and commentary ever since, in addition to her column in the Sun, and her job as Mom. That is a lot of work for one person.

EJ is concerned that her blog, her baby, has become for too long too rough a playground. I sympathize with her concern. Some of the rough and tumble of the election has continued; not much, but what has continued, the most vitriolic, has bled into several discussions where it does not belong, and that is enough to cause concern. The knives have come out, and the cuts still get personal. Where EJ had sought exemplary transparency, she was, in some cases, getting oblique postings, sometimes near accusation of ulterior motive against some elected officials, in particular Mayor Ron Sandack and Commissioner Sean Durkin. At the same time many posters who appeared to use their real names seemed to drop off, leaving a core of real named, and a cast of anonymous, posters.

AP stopped taking any comments to their news stories years ago. The Tribune just recently ended comments on political topics. AP couldn't handle the amount of anonymous negative feedback to their articles, especially about the middle east. The Tribune never seemed to moderate at all; on-line article anonymous comment responses often descended into name calling.

Part of the implied deal when a site shingle gets hung out is that good and bad are part of the mix, and it is up to the moderator to act as sheriff. At DGreport, it is EJ's ‘e-village’ and she is the law. If you cannot live with that, move on.

I support my local sheriff, and I like the e-village. DGreport.com has some rough parts to it but it is growing up, and posters are growing up or moving on. As near as I can tell, most are growing up.

I’ve also been in the email back room with Mayor Sandack, talking about the propriety of anonymity and attack posts, about his desire for fact over fancy, of content and character over baseless rumor and ‘drive-by’ character assassination. These are legitimate concerns, and there are examples of both, the good and the bad, on DGreport.

I support my local mayor, and I like the village. Sandack has gone on public record in support of what he calls ‘ a fearless political environment’. As near I can tell, from personal first hand experience, he has walked the walk as we butted heads over procedure and intent on the C&D issue, and as we have talked about blogs and on-line commentary.

Sandack and Johnson are not alone nor incorrect in sizing up DGreport as a potential minefield for local government officials. Commissioner Martin Tully, as I have noted before, is one who has successfully negotiated this minefield on several occasions. I’m not surprised; he is a lawyer and a litigator. Part of his day job is successfully navigating legal minefields in the courtroom, with the other side’s litigators lobbing legal mortar shells at him as he does it. He chooses his words carefully, and makes considered comments.

Contrast that with, say, me. Ready, aim, fire, becomes ready, point in general direction, fire, check accuracy, aim, fire for effect: a mutated six sigma that usually has a misstep or two, but once I get zeroed in, I saturate that target.

The posts on DGreport vary from ready, aim, fire, all the way down to just FIRE! With no getting ready, no aiming, no concept of what the intent or outcome might be. That needs to change. As part of the growing process, posters whether they use their real name or not, need to up the goal of their comments and posts, myself included. That doesn’t mean we all become Dostoevsky, or Goethe, but that means we take a moment to consider the blowback of what we might say.

Contributions to discussion of topics and issues that effect us all can come from the dais, from the blogs, from the citizen groups, from the business community; I do not know them all. It takes time, it takes effort, it is worth it, and Elaine Johnson is trying to get a handle on it so it is fair; so that it does not result in posts and comments that hit too personal and that cut too deep. Does a poster make a point, or is it slashing and stabbing without thinking?

Acceptable: “I can’t believe Thoman thinks the shuttle should stay.”
Unacceptable: “Thoman is scum currying the favor of shuttle commuters.”

The difference, I hope, is obvious.

Acceptable: “Thoman’s actions are those of an arrogant spoiled child.”
Unacceptable: “Thoman is an arrogant spoiled child.”

This example is shaving it pretty fine. The acceptable comment draws an analogy to what a set of actions appear to be, the second merely calls names. There is a difference between ‘sticks and stones’ name calling, and sticking a knife in.

That does not mean there is no room for disagreement and dispute, or that any negative comment must be squashed. That is counterproductive to a main tenet of a website like DGreport: a fearless environment anyone can speak to anything, regarding Downers Grove or something else.

I intend to keep at it; I hope you do too. Along the way, if some more people notice, drop in to say their say, and even become regulars, that is a very, very good thing. In the meantime, put the knives away.

But as the saying goes, keep your powder dry.

The Ice Festival

2008-02-09T15:30:00.001-06:00

Here's a couple pictures from this year's Ice Festival. There was a pretty good turnout. Lots of kids out with their parents, shaking off a little cabin fever.

This is an art form that guys like. Why? Two words: power tools...

To be more specific, instead of brushes, these artists use chain saws. Can there be any higher art form? Did not think so...

The Sea Turtle was looking pretty good.

I have to go back Sunday and see this one finished. The artists starts out with cubes of ice and ends up with perfect spheres to be used as balls for his sculpture.

The dragon guys were shaving down their creation prior to attaching the wings. If you look in the background, Egg Harbor was rolling around carts with complimentary coffee and hot chocolate. I heard plenty of comments that people will eat there when it opens.

Pretty jumping on what normally would be just another dismal February weekend.

Tree Update

2008-02-05T22:38:00.000-06:00

Interim Director of Public Works Robin Weaver broke the sobering news to council tonight: the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is on the way, it's closer than anyone thinks, and nothing anyone has done stops the 100% lethality of this pest. Evanston is getting hammered right now; hundreds of trees need removal, and their Public Works crews are swamped.

It's all very sad. Ash trees had their foibles, but some, especially purple Ash, really are beautiful shade trees. Hardy, tolerant, robust, and completely vulnerable to a small bug from China. Probably the best way to know the EAB has arrived will be the tiny sideways 'D' holes in the tree, and the woodpeckers pecking away eating everyone they can find. Sorry, the woodpeckers don't stop them either.

Public Works will be taking out 400-450 trees this year, trying to get ahead of the problem like everyone else did not. Replacing all those trees is going to cost money, and it is my intention to see what we residents might do to help lower the cost to the village. I'll report in on this if/as things happen.

The good news is it is now policy to route sidewalks around non-ash, non-invasive mature trees whenever possible. The three block long project on Carpenter between 59th and 62nd originally called for the removal of 20 trees on the east side of the street. That is now down to two trees, and when the project is up for resident input I hope to save at least one more if possible.

This is a new attitude at Public Works. Before, residents had to know, had to go, had to protest removal of trees. Then, it was residents had to push our way into the process to save the tree(s) on our property, and then it was no sure thing. Miss the meeting due to work: bad things happen.

Now, I have been told, the project designers do that part automatically. Save the trees is the mantra; they count more than ruler straight sidewalks one foot off the property line. Mission accomplished.

The 18 trees saved on Carpenter translates into a street canopy that remains intact, and a $$ savings to the village of just over $7,500. For three blocks. Imagine if we had this policy in place when we started the sidewalk program.

We will still save ourselves tens of thousands of dollars moving forward, not to mention 40 years regrowing needlessly destroyed street canopies.

Is DGreport “a vehicle of “mistruth”?

2008-02-05T11:56:00.000-06:00

I read EJ’s comment made to her by an unidentified elected official that DGreport, her blogbaby, spread mistruths. One of my friends who frequents DGreport took me to task along a similar line. Anonymous posters can say any lie they want and not be held accountable. He was curious: why I would bother naming myself on DGreport when so many others do not?

I and others have used the term sock puppet for anonymous posters, and derided their anonymity as proof they were disingenuous; that they misspoke on purpose or to some agenda. Are they are too afraid to speak in public so they hide? District 58/99 elections were a good example of bad anonymous behavior. There have been inflammatory comments here as well on other tropics. A case could be made that there has been a misuse of the public trust.

Funny thing though, the anonymous posters, the bad ones, are having a hard time hiding as that blog goes on. Readers are getting wise to them. There is a growth curve involved, and this blog is growing and maturing.

Credibility is an issue with me. People know where to find me. They can email me, write me, call me; hell, they can show up at my door. Does that temper my comments? Nope. What it does temper is launching personal attacks on anonymous posters whose comment I take exception to. As a known named person, I have to ask myself: if I was talking face to face with this person, would I personally attack them? Nope.

But I have at DGreport.

When I started posting there, I took exception to some comments by posters, particularly Meat, and started to mix it up. I stopped, but never apologized. That was wrong: Meat, if you read this, I apologize for taking your remarks personally, and responding in kind. Two wrongs, both mine, didn’t make a right. I try and steer clear now, but the damage is done. We live with our mistakes, and sometimes we learn from them.

Slight tangent- If there are posters who are under 18, stay anonymous until you are legally adults, then decide if you want your name out here.

When a public official charges that ‘mistruths’ are spread, they may be right, they may be wrong, but they can always, always come into the discussion, named or anonymous, and present their case. Take the case of two anonymous posters crossing swords about the Liquor Commission and charges of ‘politics as usual’. DGDood made some claims, X01703, who claims to be a Liquor Commission member, refuted them. I looked into it, and posted up on it also. So did anonymous Ron Burgundy.

When it comes to the village, and all that concerns it, anonymity has a well-warranted good side. Highly sensitive topics like housing, the buses, local politics, development/redevelopment and other areas may be uncomfortable for us named persons to deal with, but the comfort to comment, to join the discussions may be possible and conductive only under sufficient confidentiality. If the goal is to have the best online discussions possible, to bring the largest number of people into the discussion, and to promote public discourse, anonymity increases the comment pool. What DGreport gains with anonymous posters is the wide range of opinions and perspectives that include not just regular posters, but first-time and very occasional visitors, coming into a discussion for the first time. They make it lively. Tell me my comments are as biting as Hellomoto. That would not be true, yet most of what he has claimed as fact is easily verifiable, and gets either vetted or outed accordingly.

Meat, stay Meat. Hellomoto, DGDood, DG_DA, Champ Kind, Ron Burgundy; stay anonymous, and keep contributing. If you step over the line you’ll take heat for that, and take a little heat for being anonymous too: so what. Facts have a tendency to shine light: the more the better. Opinions are important too, and anonymity makes those opinions easier to put out there, here, so they too can see the light of day and be scrutinized.

Foggy Monday, 2pm

2008-02-04T16:16:00.000-06:00

Where'd the end of the block go?

Home Foreclosures in DG

2008-02-03T07:58:00.001-06:00

As of yesterday, here's how DG is doing with property in foreclosure. We're about in the middle. Naperville, Westmont, Lisle are doing a little better, Woodridge is a little worse. Bolingbrook is getting hammered.

In some cases, these families are living beyond their means and now it all is crashing down; not on them really, but on us. That's too bad, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you can't keep drawing more money out of a house forever. Fred Flipper and his family refi'd once and bought new cars. They refi'd again for the time share condo, marina space, and boat up in the Dells. They refi'd again when Fred Jr. went to that prestige college. As long as the house prices kept going up it sorta worked. Now they toss the keys and walk away, leaving the mess for someone else. For us.

In some cases, the buyer simply wasn't smart enough to know when the teaser rate expired, they just couldn't afford it. They didn't get the Alt-A guidelines but the mortgage guy said it was cool, it was designed to help them, a way to buy the home of their dream. Now the mortgage guy is gone, and the office is empty, and some company wants more cash than they can pay, or else. There isn't any smiling face to reassure them they're doing the right thing, just notice after phone call telling them they did the wrong thing and now they have to pay. Shame on them for not knowing better, we say, and shudder in relief: if you've ever been in a room with high pressure sales people, you know how confusing it can be.

In some cases, the family has been hit by other economic woes. Just keeping their noses above water, and the wife's job got downsized. The meager medical insurance just went up another 20% this year. The new higher deductible for the broken arm wiped out the savings account. The car just upped and died. The kid in college still has another year. The recent state, county, and municipal tax hikes push them over the edge. The builder went belly up and left them with a bad roof. There is no rainy day fund.

Hard to lump all these different story's (and many more) into one book. The Fed is bailing out the banks-the companies that started this all in the name of profit. Will they help the buyers, the people who may or may not deserve the help? All of the lenders knew what they were doing: few of the buyers knew what they were really getting into.

I've said this before:

The increasing shortage of affordable housing was becoming a problem for us. This was a lead-up problem several years in the making, and for a while it was actually accelerating.

The key word here is was.

The crash and burn in housing over such a short time frame has changed the parameters of the discussion. Now, we have too many homes on the market and not enough qualified buyers. Why? The most likely to buy the middle priced homes are squeezed out by credit lenders.

Banks and greed are to blame. Spare me the argument that it wasn't banks; that has long been laid to rest, it was the banks. Now we have real estate prices leveling off and on some properties even going down, and first time buyers can't get reasonable rate conventional loans-loans they could make good on-to buy them.

I listened to enough ad hoc meetings, DGHT presentations, and council hand wringing to think we're trying to solve (or ignore, take your pick) the last problem instead of the current one. The problem we have now is too many homes up for sale and not enough buyers with qualified loans. There's where the affordability problem has shifted to.

Two smaller middle income homes. Which house would you rather have next to yours?

I'd rather not have an empty home next door or next block slowly falling into neglect; that lowers the value of my home and my neighborhood. So my question now is, should we be trying to find buyers? Is it in our best interest to have occupied homes instead of empty homes? How do we find the buyers, and how do we find them the loans?

PACE Bus Circulator Study

2008-01-31T13:21:00.000-06:00

There are not direct links to this, but here's the PACE BUS Circulator Study. Click on Project Reports, then scroll down to Service Specification Reports. Downers Grove has the full report. Chapter Three has the estimated costs, and estimated sources of revenue, such as they are.

"The planned service is designed to be integrated into the current shuttle service creating a more effective and comprehensive system. The planned service is also intended to complement existing Pace service."

This quote from the Executive Summary indicates this is not a changeover from the shuttle; this something different and additional to the shuttle, not made entirely clear at the council presentation by the study presenter.

This does not look like it has any impact on the shuttle, and would be an additional cost to the DG budget at some level, from a couple hundred thousand up to 1.5 million each year.

I'm still leery, and if it's outside the shuttle, I'm more leery/less enthusiastic. Of the four trial run communities, we have the most ambitious plan. Addison has no bus service to speak of, so one line running through the middle of town works for them. Wheaton; the study is just adding a route connecting the train station to the County Complex on the west side. Lombard is kind of a smaller scale DG plan.

At this point, I'd say show me where the money comes from, then let council deliberate the particulars.

2008 CIP - Scope and Design Open House

2008-01-29T21:43:00.001-06:00

The Village has more projects than stormwater projects this year. On a Tuesday when the council did not meet, members of Public Works showed residents what else is coming for the 2008 construction season.

The weather turned pretty lousy by 7pm, but there was pretty good attendance anyway.

I hoped DG's newest news man RonBurgandy would be there, or even say, a columnist from the Sun, but there was no press at all. I took these pictures on my phone, so the light is suspect and makes everyone look shiny.

I didn't think to take down names, so this amiable guy in the dark shirt is Bike Path Guy. He talked about the first two phases of signage and stripage for designated bikeways, so he's also Sign Guy.
It's tough adding in bikeways in DG because our streets typically don't have the width in the older parts of town, and there isn't much off-street path opportunity. Signage is important to alert drivers that bikers are around. Most pathways will be marked with signs every 220 feet or so. The two guys in the sign department will be very busy this year.

As usual, there were several staffers on hand to answer any questions. Deputy Village Manager Dave Fieldman was in good spirits. Usually he's the guy who answers a lot of questions at council meetings (although Tom Dabareiner, Director of Community Development, is giving him a run for his money lately).

There were several PW guys there handling questions, so he had a light load for a change.

Like I said, my phone cam makes everyone look shiney, although the focus is always perfect. Yeah, Dave looked a little, I don't know, blurry.

I talked briefly with Ms. Weaver to continue lobbying for saving our mature, non-ash, non-invasive parkway trees from straight line sidewalks (seeTrees Winning New Friends at Public Works ), and the Sidewalk Guys have the message to save every tree possible from now moving forward. Just in a three block run we saved 18 trees. Have to say, if she keeps to her plan we'll save several hundred trees before we finish sidewalks in DG and get back up to speed on infrastructure. That matters.

L-to-R Village Manager Cara Pavlicek, Plan Commissioner Greg Beggs, and Public Works Director Robin Weaver.

Like I said, I didn't think to write down names of people, so I only know the well-known names, so I don't know who this guy is . Said his name was Ron something...

I'm kidding. Mayor Sandack was all smiles too, and took time to talk with residents and thank them for coming out in such bad weather.

Trees Winning New Friends at Public Works

2008-01-28T21:13:00.000-06:00

Mark Thoman

Sat, Dec 15, 2007 at 4:16 PM

To: Robin Weaver , Kerstin von der Heide

Cc: "Pavlicek, Cara"

Ms. Weaver, Ms. von der Heide, et all,

I live at the SE corner of 61st and Carpenter Streets, which will undergo a major multi-month construction project starting this spring. My reason for writing (I will follow up with you, Ms. Weaver, if possible prior to Council's Tuesday meeting), is to see if it is possible to meet with yourself and our Village Forester Ms. von der Heide, and whomever else you feel would be an invested party, for the purpose of discussing modifications to sidewalk placement along Carpenter.

I am not protesting sidewalks, and do not seek to delay or prevent their installation. What I do seek is to keep intact as many non-ash trees along Carpenter as is possible, and to make this an ongoing objective for all future sidewalk projects. This will require rethinking the typical linear 5' wide sidewalk placed 1' off property lines. Ms. von der Heide is aware when the sidewalk was placed along 61st Street, that I was in favor of the sidewalk, and devastated by the lack of thinking that went into removal of a 40 year old healthy maple 16' from the street. When the snow clears you will still be able to plainly see where the botched trunk grind/sodding has resulted in a dead depression in my front yard, and how unnecessary the removal really was.

Moving forward, we as a village must place a prime value to our remaining non-ash, non-invasive mature tree inventory, and be creative in replacing the ash population that we will lose as quickly and affordable as possible.

What I ask the village to consider, and this project can serve as the test bed, is to re-engineer the sidewalk component, to rethink the placement so as to avoid taking down trees.

I've looked at the plans- the sidewalks are the typical straight lines, and it looks like they will take out significant numbers of non–ash trees and shrubs. These trees contribute to minimizing the extensive storm water problems my neighbors have to the north on Carpenter, and help keep water from cascading down onto my neighbors to the south. Their loss would be a tragedy, but I believe it can be reduced to an absolute bare minimum by thinking it through starting now, several months ahead of the project. Simple judicious planning, open minded engineering, and sensitive project management can avoid the prospect of any street losing fully grown, mature non-ash tree stock, even with sidewalks being installed for children and pedestrian safety. Having a sidewalk meander slightly as it travels down a parkway is a small price to pay in order to skip 40 years spent growing a replacement tree canopy.

To that end, existing mature non-ash trees on public property and parkways must take priority over future planned sidewalks. This will take a different mindset than what has been normal in the past, but our tree future is not normal, and we cannot take out trees that take 40 years to replace, simply so a sidewalk can be laid in a straight line.

I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and whom you think appropriate at a mutually convenient time to discuss this matter in more detail, and I am willing to volunteer my time to assist in any way I am able, to effect a positive change in the sidewalk process that results in saving non-ash trees.

I don't have Kerstin's email. I guessed at her e-address, and would appreciate you forwarding this to her if I missed.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to meeting with you on this very important issue.

--
Best Regards,

Mark Thoman
1109 61st Street,
Downers Grove, IL 60516-1820
HP 630-852-7260 WP 630-515-1186
F 630-515-1189 M 630-750-5179

Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 9:04 AM

To: Mark Thoman

Good luck on this one. I noticed at our old house, when they ran the sidewalk through, they whacked the beautiful 20’ Burr Oak that I had nurtured from a small sprig. And from your personal experience, there doesn’t seem to be much sensitivity on this issue at Village Hall.

From the 12/18/07 Village Council Meeting minutes:

“Mr. Thoman said he attended a meeting last week with the Village Forester who made a presentation regarding the potential Emerald Ash Borer infestation, saying that this will wipe out most of our ash trees. He said the Village needs an aggressive plan for tree replacement.

Trouble will come with the installation of sidewalks. He reviewed the process for installing sidewalks, saying that the retention of trees is a higher priority than ruler-straight sidewalks. His area is scheduled for sidewalk installation, which will mean removing a number of trees and shrubs. Installing a meandering sidewalk, rather than ruler-straight, would allow some trees to be saved.”

Weaver, Robin

Wed, Jan 2, 2008 at 4:49 PM

To: Mark Thoman

Cc: "Pavlicek, Cara" , "von der Heide, Kerstin" , "Millette, Mike"

Hello Mr. Thoman. I wanted to let you know that we haven't forgotten your e-mail request for additional care and saving of trees along our projects, especially since we will be losing a substantial number of trees due to the Emerald Ash Borer. Between snow and ice control activities and vacation schedules we haven't had a chance yet to review your specific area and the work scheduled there. Within the next two weeks we should be able to review the site and the plans and discuss them as they relate to tree preservation. I will get back to you at that time.

Robin Weaver
Interim Director of Public Works
Village of Downers Grove
630-434-5461
rweaver@downers.us

Mark Thoman

Thu, Jan 3, 2008 at 9:14 AM

To: "Weaver, Robin"

Cc: "Pavlicek, Cara" , "von der Heide, Kerstin" , "Millette, Mike"

Ms. Weaver:

Thank you for the update. At this point with the EAB, it should come as no surprise my very strong support for Ms. von der Heide and her tree ordinance. Other communities in the Chicago area (and elsewhere) have shown that a tight tree ordinance can be a very positive addition to the community. It is critical that, if as a village we are to regulate protection of non-ash, non-invasive tree species, we set the regulatory bar very high for the private sector by how we treat existing tree stock on public land, and that means top priority to keeping existing trees intact and unharmed.

Thanks again for keeping me informed.

--
Best Regards,

Mark Thoman
1109 61st Street,
Downers Grove, IL 60516-1820
HP 630-852-7260 WP 630-515-1186
F 630-515-1189 M 630-750-5179
markthoman.blogspot.com

Weaver, Robin

Mon, Jan 28, 2008 at 4:28 PM

To: Mark Thoman

Hello Mr. Thoman. In our internal joint review of the plans for work on Carpenter Street we determined that the plans call for the removal of 20 trees. There is room to instead locate the sidewalk further into the Right-Of-Way (closer to the street) and avoid almost all of the trees.
It is likely that two trees will be removed. So, design changes are being made to the plans. We will also take precautions to protect the trees, just as we require private developers to protect public trees. Now that we've enacted an internal process to jointly review all the capital projects in advance of design, our work will be better planned, have fewer conflicts and be more efficient by incorporating capital and operating considerations.

Your interest in this project and interest generally in our parkway tree program is appreciated.

Robin Weaver
Interim Director of Public Works
rweaver@downers.us
630-434-5461

Silver Lining to Economic Trouble

2008-01-27T09:39:00.000-06:00

Interest rates are ratcheting down as the Fed tries to avoid a total economy meltdown.

That's good news for us here in DG as staff and council wind their way along the stormwater issue. Bids will go out for a financial consultant to shepherd bringing $25 million in bond debt onto the books for stormwater projects.

Interest rates, and bond rates, are at significant lows. Serendipity works, and the luck of timing will save the village millions in interest payments. This is also a great time to take a look at any other bond issues we have out there, with an eye towards lowering the rate and the amount of interest paid.

Good news for DG in the midst of bad news on the economy.

On-Line CRC Now Off-Line

2008-01-26T22:05:00.000-06:00

“The Community Response Center (CRC) was created to improve communication between the Mayor, Village Council, Village staff and residents. The goal of the CRC is to enhance the Village's effectiveness in dealing with concerns and requests. Maintaining an open line of communication with residents and businesses is a top priority of the Village Council.”

“The Community Response Center (CRC) uses a database that allows the Village to document concerns and complaints received from residents and track the follow-up and actions associated with them.”

Through November 2007 there have been 3,319 contact records for the village via the CRC.

The on-line CRC is a pretty cool tool. Using the Trackwise CAPA software , any contact to the center receives a number that allows for the record to be tracked as it winds it’s way to resolution. Several residents used the CRC to report multiple building violations at 4929 Forest, along with dozens of other inquiries monthly. Other high volume times are after storms, reporting flooding and tree damage.

The “Residents Guidebook to Residential Construction”, written by residents John Scofield and Charlie Smart, provides detailed instructions how to use the on-line CRC to the residents benefit. They also give hands on directions how to call in and email the CRC.

The on-line CRC is down. I don’t know when it happened, but you call in, or email the village.

With the CRC going off-line, that process just got less transparent.

I emailed the CRC and asked when it would be back up. I also email Liangfu Wu, Director of DG’s Information Systems Department, with the same question. I’ll post whatever response I get.

Trending the Future of Code Enforcement

2008-01-21T00:28:00.000-06:00

A lot of people thought 4929 Forest unapproved building alterations were no big deal; not worth pursuing. No health hazard or safety issues were involved, and had builder Michael Prince come before village council (as he had twice already) asking permission in advance of changes (as required), they would have been granted.

Commissioner Waldack had reservations and made a motion that the walls be changed back to the original brick masonry. It died quietly for lack of a second, with no discussion about issuing 4929 Forest an occupancy permit with the condition Mike Prince not start another building until he finished changing back to the approved and spec'd masonry walls on this building.

Some changes and variances were granted the project in March 2007: allowing higher density (4 additional units) and smaller parking spaces. Some changes were not authorized; substituting brick for stone, changing the roof from a faux mansard, and changing wall construction in large areas from brick masonry, to "stucco".

That stucco is actually a Senerflex® Adhered Mat Design feature, manufactured by BASF Wall Systems. It is Tyvek, a mesh with cement, styrofoam (rigid) panels cut and placed to create walls, cornices, detail features, and then sprayed with a primer and a finish coat of acrylic polymer mud and you're done. Does it look good? It looks terrific.

The architect drawings show a cross section of the design. According to BASF's sales brochure, Senerflex®Adhered Mat Design is "used when an unobstructed plane is required to allow the exit of incidental moisture from the structure’s walls. It is ideal for retrofit over walls that are not suited to adhesive attachment." It comes with a seven year wear/seven year moisture warranty. Masonry typically will last forever with rare tuck pointing needs. Is it cheaper than brick? Yes. Initially.

There's the rub; cheap now for the builder, more expensive later for the homeowners. Michael Prince has moved some of the life-cycle costs of his building downstream into the future, where the cost is not his.

Note: remember this life-cycle costing concept. It is important to the village moving forward. More later...

Back to the trending issue at hand: does this start a trend, or change direction of a trend in our village?Is this a trend for how we want buildings built in downtown Downers Grove?

Acadia On The Green began life as a full four floor steel and masonry construction (like 4929 Forest BTW). It changed structure design when the National Building Code changed, and the top three floors were built out with wood, and a brick facade on the exterior walls. That was cheaper than a full steel and masonry building, the required design up until a couple years ago. And now this, changing 4929 Forest wall construction to save some construction costs, and to move things along faster.

That was a differently made up council, and they fared just as well as the current council, trying to figure out, as Commissioner Durkin so aptly fired off "How did this happen?"

The village council can bring to bear the long view of the Strategic Plan, and of the Total Community Discussion, to the process of legislating good codes, and of setting good policy. Good codes makes for clear direction; good policy makes for long term solutions. A wall guaranteed to last for seven years is not a long term solution.

Every builder in every town posts up a bond for their project; the bigger the project the bigger the bond. Village has the option of pulling any fines levied out of that posted bond, for things like not following the requirements. The builders all know this. The village staff have enforced it many times.

Updated: Staff has confirmed that when the permit was issued, no bonding fee was required by the village. What can rightly be considered a huge loophole in the planning and enforcement process, has since been closed by staff.

Take a look at a blow-up from the plans filed with the village. This is a trail of the changes made. You see four changes are made for permit purposes; this probably where he asked for permission and it was granted. The last (top) three changes don't appear to be made to meet the requirements of a revised building permit; they were done later. These are probably the changes for which council forgiveness will be granted in January 2008.

The trend for enforcement of future projects? Builder Michael Prince knew those changes needed approval but took a pass. He told staff to take him to council and they'd get it straightened out. Council sure did; they let Michael Prince completely off the hook no matter which way you cut it; council even went on public record agreeing they were letting him off the hook, both at the January 8th workshop meeting and at the January 15th Council meeting where they approved it unanimously 6-0 (Schnell was absent).

The trend for clarity in enforcement of requirements? This doesn't straighten anything out; this twists it up in new and innovative ways. Now, any builder who does what he pleases, now he can cry foul if he's ever fined or brought to account for not following the rules. A precedent has been set. The requirements now have an asterisk by them*.

A trend for consistency with all builders and with neighboring municipalities? Some other builders I spoke with (none wanted to be on record) were miffed. They paid fines here and there over the years; it's part and parcel of building. Hinsdale's tough; village inspectors watch you like a hawk just waiting for you to do something not exactly in the approved plans. Naperville's tough too: they just don't care why you can't quite do what you said; too bad, it's fine time. Oh, and all those insubstantial changes? Change everything back to reflect the plan that was approved. Or else. Joliet is typical of many communities. Like Downers Grove they work very closely with the builder so everyone is dialed in before construction starts; from then on it has to be exactly as the approved plans show or they must get permission for changes. Want to keep building in Joliet? Follow the rules.

In one sense, building is a race against time to finish/sell a project before construction loans and costs eat you up. Materials get more expensive every month you delay, any corners that can be cut to save a buck, a nickel; all are weighed. If you're good at it, you make some money, you do more. If you're not, you rarely get to keep going. Even if you're good with one project, it's no guarantee the next won't be your last.

You don't always get it right and then the inspectors write you up and fine you, ding you, and you try and avoid more in the future by playing it by the rules. In return, you get to build in desirable areas where people pay a premium to move and live. Statistics kept by the Village Department of Community Development show a trend; a trend that enforcement and fines work. But council has sent the message loud and clear: no foul, no fines, nothing to see here, move on. The rules changed. What did they change to?

The possible new trend in rules? Say whatever it takes to get the project past the Plan Commission and get it approved by council, and then build it how you want, as long as it's close. If it poses no health or safety problems and is in code, council will approve it; council said they would approve it. Said my friend Bob the Builder, "Over there, they're tough and consistent. Over here, now somebody else got a break we didn't. What about us? We've built here, and paid fines here, and try and follow rules here. When do we get our free pass? Do we get one from now on?"

Actions speak louder than words. Rather than say to builders that builder expectations for variances and exceptions should be severely lowered, council has, by it's actions, trended towards publicly lowering the village expectations of builders. Builders will be happy to oblige and meet this new trend, these lowered expectations, and even test that new bottom, all in the quest to build a bit cheaper. Does council want that trend to continue? I have to say of course not. There's just that problem that they have taken deliberated, and deliberate, steps to do just that.

This trending is not a trend towards sound, consistent public policy.

*Rules need not apply. See your local village council for details.

C&D Wrap-Up

2008-01-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

Tuesday should be a wrap: council should unanimously approve staff's definition of a "recycling collection center" that specifically excludes C&D facilities and transfer stations. It effectively mirrors state statute.

I tried to personally thank those who helped along the way; it was a very wide group. Whether they spoke, actively helped me, passively helped, just expressed an opinion for or against what I was doing, or let me sit down and explain why state statutes in this case should be observed and adhered to, they all became part of steering the village back on track in a somewhat open and transparent process. I liken it to steering the Titanic safely away from the icebergs.

Seniors at Cameo, led by Larraine Tresnak and Barbara McLellan
Downers Grove Coalition for Managed Redevelopment
Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Downers Grove Watch
Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation
Pierce Downer Heritage Alliance
Village of Downers Grove Office of the Village Manager
Morton Arboretum
Downers Grove Village Council
DuPage County Forest Preserve District
Village of Downers Grove Community Development Department

In particular:
- Andy Clark. He pushed me to get into it rather than simply complain about it.
- Gordon Goodman. He reminded me to keep an open ear to divergent opinion, and keep it civil. I did, even when others baited me, and that helped both broaden and sharpen my research and presentation materials.
- Brian Krajewski. His opposition to the project site when mayor stalled it long enough for me to begin getting a handle on where staff went wrong, and to build a case for protecting residents and businesses by getting it right.
- Ron Sandack. As mayor he allowed most of my meeting comments to go way past 5 minutes, and allowed considerable latitude in my comments.
- John Schofield. He acted the 'devil's advocate' to keep me on task, and he punched holes in weak parts of what I was doing, so what remained was logical, rational, and robust.
- Tom Sisal. He told me to learn the pertinent zoning and environmental law, i.e., know what I'm talking about and why.
- Marilyn Hannapel. I'm not 100% sure: she was the little grandma who came up to me after a Plan Commission meeting (that didn't have a good outcome for residents), and asked me, "When do we count?" It took persistence, but you count.

1/17/08 Council Vote Update:
5-1 it passed. The sole Nay vote, Commissioner Neustadt, I spoke with after the meeting, and I understand the reasoning behind the Nay vote as he explained it to me. From Elaine Johnson's DG Report:

"My concern is that by amending the definition of the “recycling collection facilities” we will exclude the construction and demolition debris facility from the zoning ordinance. I feel that with the new buffers in place that limit the location of recycling facilities as well as the special use process the village has the ability to review each potential application for a special use. By excluding a specific facility or business the village may be open for a law suit."

I don't agree, but I understand.

"A slap in the face of the Village."

2008-01-09T20:09:00.000-06:00

That's a direct quote from Commissioner Marylin Schnell, speaking out forcefully on Michael Prince's 4929 Forest LLC project having changed the look and feel of the project, apparently to lower construction costs, but bypassing village requirements for prior approval of such changes.

So, is it a slap in the face or not?

What was approved then (left), and being built now (right). Then, a big fairly featureless cube filled with luxury condos. Now, a big fairly featureless cube filled with luxury condos.

The Plan Commission uses standard imperatives on any approved construction project:

"THE DEVELOPMENT SHALL SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORM TO THE ARCHITECTURAL AND LANDSCAPING PLANS PREPARED BY __________ DATED ___________EXCEPT AS SUCH PLANS MAY BE MODIFIED TO CONFORM TO VILLAGE CODES AND ORDINANCES."

What staff and Mayor Sandack said is the new look substantially conforms, so let's not get into stop orders and potential litigation. I can relate to that; it is a big project that is in a TIF district, so the property tax is all gravy for the village: a good deal so let's not screw things up, just let it go because it is substantially the same building. There is no harm, so no foul.

The Plan Commission is very consistent in their requirements, and makes very clear:

"ANY CHANGES TO THE CONDITIONS REPRESENTED BY THE PETITIONER AS THE BASIS FOR THIS PETITION, WHETHER THOSE CHANGES OCCUR PRIOR TO OR AFTER VILLAGE APPROVAL, SHALL BE PROMPTLY REPORTED TO THE VILLAGE. CHANGES MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL REVIEW OF THE SUBDIVISION"

and:

"IT IS THE PETITIONER’S OBLIGATION TO MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE WITH ALLAND VILLAGE LAWS, ORDINANCES, REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES." APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY."

So I see where Schnell feels the Village has been "slapped in the face" by the builder. It is Mr. Prince's obligation, as the owner of record of 4929 Forest LLC, and as part of the approval of the development, that he present any changes for approval prior to making them. That is the requirement.

There are multiple meetings required by muni ordinance where the look and scope of the project are hashed out, (28.1602), a preliminary approval by staff (28.1603), final approval (28.1604), and any amendments to scope and look (28.1605). There's at least two building inspections as well as an electrical, plumbing, and sewer/water inspection where the builder is required to be at these inspections, and so he has had multiple opportunities at his location to make the village aware of changes made.

No wonder Schnell used the analogy of a "slap in the face"; Mr. Prince had his opportunities, as did the inspectors, were they equipped with a set of proper plans.

So, as Commissioner Sean Durkin wondered , sounding a bit embarrassed and miffed by this turn of events, how did this come to pass?

Good question.

Given Mr. Dabareiners very short track record with the village, had he known of changes in the project, I think he would have immediately made 4929 Forest LLC follow village procedure, probably with another red tag (halting the project until back into conformance, which he has done once already). He seems quite good about his job. So that may leave it at the feet of the field inspectors. A dropped ball.

Does this open the door wider for the next builder to ignore procedure? There's plenty of construction projects planned or underway in the village that, given the building economy right now, builders would love to squeeze some cost out of. If the village is granting forgiveness instead of permission, why not change cast stone to brick, and brick to stucco or something cheaper?

Where were the inspectors bringing this to the attention of the village during the framing of the building? Changing a roof line and wall materials are pretty noticeable, but I don't know if it is substantial, and I highly doubt it makes the whole project unsafe in some way.

It is a fact on this one, it is specifically the builder responsibility to inform and ask permission for the variances from approved plans. Everyone who builds here knows this. I do not know the bond amount- the minutes from the April 2005 Plan Commission meeting are not available on-line (a continuing saga). 'Onus' is a legal obligation, and it is on the builder in this case.

It will be interesting to see if there is any fine, taken out of the bond fund, or if council gives 4929 Forest, LLC, a pass on this. This situation, and the village's response, will set a precedent, so staff and council must be careful that the precedent is not that we as a village lose control over how things get built.

If they give a free pass with no fine- no slap financial slap on the wrist for Schnell's "slap in the face"- it is inevitable there will be another builder who will do the same. Is that what we want?

Old Knowledge, Recently Reminded

2008-01-02T12:39:00.001-06:00

Municipalities, Home Rule or not, are expected to comply with requirements set forth by the Illinois Compiled Statutes. Communities may sometimes change those requirements, but until such time as the municipality otherwise provides by ordinance, those requirements are in effect to the full extent of the law, and even then that power to change by local ordinance can be preempted by the state.

Hit’s, Misses, and a Great Idea

2007-12-21T14:13:00.000-06:00

Hits

Applying for FEMA grant money.

On two 2008 storm water related projects the village is an applicant for FEMA grant money, to the tune of a couple million bucks. There’s also the opportunity to be a sub-applicant to the state for more of the same FEMA money. FEMA has nation-wide funds of about $25 million annually for precisely this type of work, and the state gets a minimum $500,000 extra to dole out as it sees fit. Starting during Mayor Krajewski’s term, our village government got pretty good at writing for grant requests and filling applications (way, WAY harder than it sounds).

Last year all of the federal money was granted, but like I said, our village staff is pretty good at putting together a grant request, plus we have the detailed engineering study and can produce proper plans documenting what’s to be done. FEMA likes that.

In 2007, the state awarded only a bit over $100K of the $500K available. That left almost $400K unused. We could use that each year easy. I emailed VM Pavlicek and asked if we are applying both as an applicant (for federal money) and as a sub-applicant (for state funds), and Megan is supposed to get back to me.

Home Rule Sales Tax (HRST) Hike

Tuesday council approved raising our HRST based take from ½ cent to ¾ cent. Technically, they’re raising it 50%. It does have a sunset clause and “become null and void at the end of the debt service issued for stormwater related improvements.”

Each ¼ cent of Home Rules Sales Tax currently generates $2,300,000.

Misses

Non specific Tele-Tax hike.

They also approved a 1% hike in the telecommunications tax, from 5% to 6%, a 20% raise in the rate.

The proposed increase will take effect on July 1, 2008. Revenue generated by this increase in FY08 is estimated to be $410,000, which will be used to fund expenditures in the Capital Projects Fund. The full year revenue generated by this tax increase for FY09 is estimated to be $820,000.

There is no sunset clause for this tax hike, because it fuels the Capital Projects Fund. The money can be spent on whatever the village says, whether it be sewers or streets...or a new Fleet Services building, a new Police Station, or a new Civic Center.

A Great Idea

Linda Kunze reads minds.

Staff has been working on this one off-radar, but it’s a great idea and deserves to see the light of day.

I’ve been talking about a single downtown waste hauler since the last election; then we can do recycling downtown, cut down on garbage truck traffic, and we could make our alleys and business rear areas look a lot better. The village could also place recycling cans around downtown; permanent ones instead of the temporary ones we see at downtown events.

Talk about a topic no one wanted to hear.

Linda Kunze, Downtown Manager of the Downers Grove Downtown Management Corporation, thinks it’s a great idea, is in a position to do something about it, and is pushing forward. The village has committed to build a total of three common dumpster areas around downtown, to centralize and clean up collection areas, making it very easy for downtown commercial businesses to recycle just like we do at our curbs every week.

This means tons of paper, cans glass, all going to recycling instead of to landfills, and we get cleaner looking alleyways. That opens the possibility for further development. Check Naperville’s downtown: there are a couple areas where there are backyard restaurant patios, and rear-facing clusters of shops on former alleys. I’m not saying that’s what will happen, I’m saying those types of things become possible.

The first centralized collection area goes in this spring, the two additional units the following year. Downtown Downers Grove will get the businesses invested in the concept and use. Council can help move things along by making it clear they support this, and expect businesses to get on board.

This is just one example of recycling bins. Here's another where local artists design and build recycling receptacles out of recycled materials. The possibilities are many.

Bravo, Ms. Kunze.

Best Christmas card this year...

2007-12-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

...from the residents of 5300 Walnut, Cameo Condos. Sent nominally by Lorraine Tresnak, it was a communal card with a 6 page insert:

"Dear Mark,

As the holiday season approaches we here at Cameo wish to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all the time and effort you devoted to our cause.

Best wishes and season's greetings to you and your family."

It's signed by a bunch of the residents who live there. As sweet as any holiday treat I'll have this year, that's for sure. Thank you all, and you're welcome!

The Bullet We Dodged

2007-12-18T00:23:00.000-06:00

Lest you think the village could have any real control over a C&D facility, see what Woodridge is going through...

So when do we say "That’s enough"?

2007-12-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

Like most guys, I subscribe to the hypothesis that when a project is 80% done, it’s done. From then on, it’s just clean up. Employing the rule of 80/20 to the stormwater issue, we should be able to get to that 80% finished plateau for about $68 million. The last 20%, the clean up, will cost the remaining $272 million.

So I guess my question is this:

Do we really want it all done? Do we really want every possible problem, no matter how small or how expensive it may be, to be completely addressed? Maybe there is just some areas of town, like 40^th and Glendenning, that need to be open unbuildable land forever, regardless of how much developers want to build. Maybe these are areas where public condemnation needs to occur for the better good. I can think of a couple homes that should be bought by the village and torn down, and the lots left empty.

I know: Mark, getting cold feet? No stomach for the tough decisions?

There’s plenty of cheap shots to be taken on this one, but I won’t be taking them on anyone thinking maybe $340 million is a little pricey. Maybe, like our other taxing bodies have found along the way, there’s a plan B that needs to be examined before we jump headlong into a 30 year commitment that may end up with at least $300 million in additional interest costs.

I'm in for the 80% done at 20% cost. If only that worked in real life, eh?

Definition Update

2007-12-09T10:54:00.000-06:00

It appears the new definition will be on the 1/8 council workshop agenda.

C&D Update: Winding Up Some Loose Ends

2007-12-04T08:13:00.001-06:00

Tonight the resident volunteers of the Plan Commission voted to send a positive recommendation to council to adopt into our muni code a new definition of "recycling collection facility". This effectively mirrors the state definition, which is very good for residents here in our village. Village also defers to the Illinois Environmental Protection Act for further defining, as separate and distinct, a "construction and demolition debris facility" and a "transfer station". This is a 180 degree turnaround on a definition that originally said they were the same thing, and avoids opening a potential Pandora's Box of problems for the village. In addition to the Plan Commission, the resident volunteers of the Environmental Concerns Commission acted in a key advisory role to village council on this matter.

Recycling collection facility. A facility or site designed for the purpose of receiving articles or materials limited to non-hazardous, nonspecial, homogeneous, nonputresable materials such as dry paper, glass, cans or plastic , which are to be transported to another location for distribution or processing, which may or may not be the principal use on the lot where located. The term "recycling collection facility" as used in this Zoning Ordinance shall not include general construction or demolition debris facilities as defined in 415 ILCS 5/3.160, and transfer stations as defined by 415 ILCS 5/3.500 , facilities located within a structure principally devoted to another use, facilities temporarily located on a lot under authority of a temporary uses, and facilities for collecting used motor oil which are necessary to an automobile service station.

The modifications clarify that construction and demolition debris collection facilities and garbage transfer stations as defined by the Illinois Environmental Protection Act are not included as a permitted or special use in the Village.

This will be work shopped at the council on 12/11, and I expect council will approve the following week at the regular village council meeting on 12/18, so I do not anticipate any further action being required. (I'll post up if that changes!)

This ends a long period of uncertainty for several hundred residents of Downers Grove, and effectively commits our local government to observing and adhering to the intent and spirit of the state Environmental Protection Act.

There's plenty of you out there that know what's up when I say thank you for your help, for your emails to council, your voice, and for your kind words of encouragement. It was very gratifying to see residents and business alike, from many different perspectives, listen, look critically and thoughtfully, come together on a consensus, and make a difference.

Finance it!

2007-11-24T11:30:00.000-06:00

This week council heard a Northern Trust presentation titled “Stormwater Financing Analysis”. What Northern Trust floated was the idea of not dedicating $6 million or more each year for Stormwater projects, but instead financing it with:

$6 million a year in loan (via bond) payments each year for 30 years for floating $180 million in bonds that would give us $108 million in funds for projects.
$4 million a year in loan (via bond) payments each year for 30 years for floating $120 million in bonds that would give us $72 million in funds for projects.

They also floated the concept of Non-Self Supporting Debt Outstanding as the correct debt figured against the Village EAV. There is ‘only’ $5 million in that kind of debt, because the other $36+ million in debt is paid for by the Parking Fund (for Series 1999), the TIF district (for Series 2000, 2001, 2003A), and property taxes (series 2002, 2005).

This is the first time I’ve ever heard about recategorizing debt into Self-Supporting and Non-Self Supporting types for debt ratio purposes here in Downers Grove, probably because our local government has slid funds around as needed to cover abatements and debt reduction in the past, making 'self-supporting' and 'non self-supporting' pretty much a moot point.

Note: The concept of “self-supporting” debt is that borrowed bond debt will fund projects that generate enough revenue to pay the debt service obligations. Examples of this type of debt include Tax Increment Financing (our downtown), Special Service Assessments (brick streets) and the Water Fund. GO self-supporting debt payments are a general Village obligation and must be paid from the property tax levy if revenues don't meet debt service. Here in Downers, we’ve had to rely on property taxes to make up shortfalls in several “self-supporting debt funds”, so it doesn’t always work out in real life like it’s supposedly does on paper.

The net result is hey! We can borrow a bunch more money than we thought and not wreck our credit rating.

They also went over spreads, rate lock-ins, and interest only payments to start (yeah, I know that sounds like sub-prime and Alt-A lending come-ons), and pitched council on refi’ing Series 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003A bonds at a lower rate, claiming that would save $173,134.00 -which is a good deal if true.

I was surprised at the 30 year bond terms. Usually muni bonds are for 20 years or 10 years, but the spokesman said the rates were not much different, although he did not quote any TIC (Total Interest Costs) on comparable 20 and 30 year loans.

Bonding for what?

2007-11-08T18:30:00.000-06:00

At the 11/6 council meeting, it seemed like every possible fee and tax was being raised so flooding and streets could be addressed. But the net result is $6 million for 2008 funding. To paraphrase Mayor Sandack and Commissioner Durkin: "That doesn't get it done, we need to do more faster now, when the money is cheaper, and we need to borrow." Ding! They get it, but it's at the expense of the municipal center. Muni complex? New Police, Fleet Services, and Village Hall buildings?

So what staff wasn't talking about on the green sheets, is borrowing. Thing is, it's the textbook example of when it is correct, even best to borrow. "Streets and Stormwater" if you will (flooding is the symptom) have to get done as quickly as possible. Everyone on staff and council takes turns bashing the inattentiveness and sloth of the past 25 years of local government; they hid their heads in the sand and ignored two huge growing problems. So now it's time to change that. These improvements are permanent and have every reason to be have payment spread out over 20 years or more. By borrowing, we can fix the problem fairly quickly. This is health safety and welfare at it's most basic.

Replacements for existing structures, even badly needed ones, are next in line, not first in line for available funding.

Commissioner Tully and Schnell expressed concerns that delaying a new village hall creates the same type of problems delaying streets and sewers did; makes it much more expensive to 'fix' later. It's a harsh fact, even with all the new taxes, fees, you name it, our local government will have to make do for a bit, just like residents have done for so many years. waiting for decent streets and decent stormwater measures. Interest costs are at record lows right now. Money won't get cheaper so the time to do it is now.

Problem: we can only borrow so much. The debt ceiling put into place is 3% of the Village EAV. Right now we're at about 2%. The means we could borrow up to $69 million dollars, but we already have $41 million in debt now.

On Tuesday, November 20th, council will hear from bonding providers. This may get interesting...

2008 Budget Workshop

2007-10-20T18:07:00.000-05:00

A couple observations for now:

Hybrid Infrastructure Funding

I was saved all of my major talking points. Didn’t have to bring them up at all. Here’s why: Sandack and Durkin have correctly zeroed in on the need for a hybrid of funding sources that includes borrowing in addition to a full plate of tax and fee hikes. Some residents may speak about the fairness of this tax and that fee, and they may have legitimate points, but we don’t have the luxury of time to lock in funding, and the village has to get going on this now. Several projects that should have been done this year were sidelined for 2008. Project deferral cannot continue to happen. As residents, we didn’t pay for what needed to be done for the last 20 years, so now we have to pay for that and what needs to be done once back to square one.

Sandack pushed staff on how much could be done each year; what was the upper limit of staff’s capabilities to finish projects and check them off the ‘To Do’ list. Durkin was right there too. Durkin even commented on how quiet I was all day. They both did a credible job voicing a willingness and a need to focus on job #1.

Ron and Sean, on this very important multi-year budget item, and for this critical resident need, get it. Flooding and infrastructure come first for CIP priority. Period. Everything else: get in line.

Government Center

Staff wants $850,000 budgeted for the first phase of preliminary design (site and layout mainly I think) for the new police station and Civic Center. That’s $850,000 that could be spent on flooding. Tully spoke to not letting another need go unaddressed too long. Speaking as a resident, the past unaddressed needs of residents, that directly and negatively impacts our health, safety, and welfare, is far more important than a new Government Center. Does the Police Department need a new facility? I believe them when they say they do; I don’t have the specialized information as to what the needs and shortfalls of the current facility are.

New Village Hall? I won’t argue the need here, but I will say this: the current facilities are being maintained, and needs are being budgeted for on an ongoing basis. My one car may be 10 years old, but until the maintenance costs more than the payment and maintenance on a new one, I think the old one is a keeper. I’d like a shiny new one with all the go-fasters, but I have college educations that are front and center that are more important.

So it is with the new Government Center. Sandack and Durkin heard what residents said last election loud and clear, and it was not 'build a new muni center', it was 'FIX OUR STREETS AND FLOODING!!!!' We won’t have the cash to do both, we will need to borrow to get ‘bundles’ of infrastructure projects funded and finished as fast as possible, and we should not drain off needed funding for projects that can wait.

I suggested at the budget workshop that the Government Center be a topic for the 2008 Total Community Discussion (TCD 3 or whatever it’s called), so residents can weigh in and be heard. The ECC should also weigh in with ideas that can contribute to reducing the costs of heating and cooling such a large facility, with ideas like passive solar, thermal pumps, green roofing, even small wind or active solar should be on the table as discussion points for design elements. The ADRC should weigh in with suggestions for a design theme fitting for our downtown, and provide some early input. And I think we our village should reach out to some of our many expert architects for ideas and input. This is an item that we do have the luxury of time for. The current facilities may be outdated and in need of replacing, but it needs to be done in a manner that is cost efficient, needs efficient, and energy efficient.

Next up is figuring out how much all of this is going to really cost us. Now, most of what you read about the budgeting process best practices say it starts with the strategic plan (which our local government didn't get around to updating this year) while at the same time getting a rough ball park on what would be in the revenue pipeline; THEN figure out what gets what. Instead, we're relying on last years strategic report (maybe not a bad thing), with the process looking like figuring out what local government wants to do, then figuring out how much we have to pay for it all.

Not many of us have the option of simply letting our boss know how much extra they'll be paying us this year so we can deal with state, county, and local tax and fee increases, so I hope council keeps this in mind when they get down to brass tacks.

Proper Definitions

2007-10-17T17:28:00.001-05:00

On my way through researching the legislative history and intent of 415 ILCS 5/22.38, I came across two definitions that were left out of the current definitions section, but that our village can and should use. That makes a total of three definitions that should be written into our muni code, and there should be no hesitation to write more as needed.

Keep this in mind: the village could have simply adopted by reference the Environmental Protection Act and/or the Environmental Safety Laws in their entirety. This still stands as an example of our local government almost going off a cliff and creating problems instead of solving them.

Recycling Collection Facility. A "Recycling Collection Facility" is a site or facility that accepts only segregated, nonhazardous, nonspecial, homogeneous, nonputrescible materials, such as dry paper, glass, cans or plastics, for subsequent use in the secondary materials market.

Straight copy from 415 ILCS 5/3. 375. That's one.

Commercial general construction or demolition debris recycling center. "Commercial general construction or demolition debris recycling center" means a site or facility that accepts from more than one source only general construction or demolition debris that is generated off-site so that recyclable materials will be separated and removed for subsequent use in the secondary materials market.

The current Sec. 3.160 definition of commercial general construction or demolition debris incorporates 5/3.78a. Take a look at the header for that section (415 ILCS 5/3.160) (was 415 ILCS 5/3.78 and 3.78a), so there is a rational basis for using this second separate definition, which is 5/3.78a. That's two.

On-site general construction or demolition debris recycling center. "On-site general construction or demolition debris recycling center" means a site or facility used by any person accepting only general construction or demolition debris that is generated by that person's own activities at the site or facility or transported within or between sites or facilities owned, controlled, or operated by that person, so that recyclable materials will be separated and removed for subsequent use in the secondary materials market.

That's a straight copy of 415 ILCS 5/3.78b new. That's three, that's a wrap for now, and our local government can go back to fixing our streets and flooding.

The New Ethics Ordinance

2007-10-02T22:56:00.000-05:00

The actual ethics part of the proposed ethics ordinance is a solid interpretation of ethics language supported by the Illinois Attorney General and the Illinois Municipal League. There does not appear to be any trap doors or hidden problems here, albeit it is still missing the Ethics Committee or Commission.

We still need an Ethics Commission.

Watershed Improvement Plan 2007 - Adopted.

2007-09-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

The full report is in 15 parts.

Ad Hoc Committee on Housing

2007-07-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Moving forward. Council Resolution 00-02918.

The enabling resolution would provide for a final report to be provided to the Village Council on or before January 22, 2008, at which time the Ad Hoc Committee’s work would conclude unless further extended by action of the Village Council.

Copies of the individual recommendations of Commissioners as the Ad Hoc Committee’s composition have not been attached because several were verbally received."

The size of the committee will be eleven people, will have a specific make up,and will be chaired and co-chaired by council members. Unless my ears deceived me (and they did not) Neustadt and Durkin volunteered to be on the committee several weeks ago. Both good choices: Geoff Neustadt and his wife lived through the nightmare of finding a home they could afford here in Downers Grove where they both work. Sean Durkin works for a bank that has a housing assitance program for it's employees, and also has access to (public) financial information, organized so it can quickly be brought into the discussion. Between the two they have a reasonable perpective and can bring usefull information and insight to the process.

Word to the naysayers...

2007-07-17T16:01:00.000-05:00

Government "interferes" in housing substantially already. The home loan tax exemption is just one example.

Bernanke is directly intervening to fend off a meltdown of the mortgage industry due to sub prime and Alt-A lenders moving about $2.5 trillion of questionable mortgage backed securities onto banks and pension funds. Can you say Bear Stearns?

First time buyers,in recent years, have been pushed to subprime lenders, paying interest rates and fees above what a free market would dictate. A great deal for the big buck lenders like Credit Suisse that fund some notable subprime lenders, and a great deal for the mortgage writers who make a lucrative living at it, and for the hedge fund managers that ride the edge of disaster with investor money. Bad for everyone else. It's a hot potato that has started to go supernova.

A well designed IHDA program would level that playing field, not interfere with the market or dictate housing prices; just make it possible that a young family, buying their first starter home, won't get gouged by excessive rates and fees.

The IHDA, not the village, provides the financing mechanism, and markets the MRB’s, to help first time buyers buy homes. The village has no fiscal responsibility. None. This is a bit of Home Rule gravy that the village can ladle out every year as council sees fit. This year, VCT; next year, whatever the council decides.

There are over 120 3+ bedroom, 1+ bath, single family homes on the market here, priced $325,000 or less, that no one is buying. That means we DO have a housing problem- we have too many starter homes and not enough starter home buyers. At this point, the problem isn't on the supply side, it's on the demand side. We need more buyers who can buy DG homes. NOTE: This info was culled from realtor.com, and may include some surrounding or unincorporated areas. Another good reason to have a realtor on the housing ad hoc committee; they could quickly cull that number down to an accurate DG only list.

Take one of those new jobs VCT creates, marry it to a newly hired DG firefighter, and you have a middle income couple looking for a home here, where they work. Potential buyers. With an effective IHDA program eliminating thousands of dollars in hidden and open fees, and offering a market competitive fixed rate loan instead of an interest only time bomb, or a balloon or ARM, if that couple scrimps, and denies themselves some luxuries, they can just barely afford to buy that 3 bedroom 1 bath first home. They can start on raising a family, improving their home as they go, and contributing to the health of our community.

Instead of an hour each way commute, they drive less and save on fuel, and pollute less. They have more time with their children, or fixing up their dream home, or getting involved in the PTA. And on and on. They aren't flippers looking for a quick kill; they're looking for a friendly place where they can belong.

Doesn't that sound just a bit familiar to all of us? Didn't most of us go through this?

The same market price dynamics still apply. The same realtor commission structure applies. There is still a loan for a house purchased at a price set by the market and nothing else.

What is there to object to?

And another thought...

We haven't seen the bottom of the housing market yet . The experts say 2-4 more years of pain. That's good news for middle income housing; prices should continue to drop, and that maybe addresses the problem for us, at least for a while.