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Riverside Info » About Riverside

1. MikeT
   Member

   Just now I got the following news e flash from the Village. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE IF YOU WANT TO VOTE ON THE REFERENDUM QUESTION ON THE TIF.

   TELL OTHERS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE REGISTERED.

   While it is non binding, it carries much weight. It is a chance to have a say in this initiative that can change this town forever. One of the conclusions I have gleaned from the this TIF exporation the last few months is that a TIF yields a sense of a lack of control

   ...lack of control over the town's monies, the town's direction, over private property. Here is a chance to try to apply some control or order over it before this roller coaster gets on the rails and starts moving.

   And this TIF is even more out of control since there are so many open questions still unanswered - realistic models of the impacts to the schools, for starters.

   EXPRESS YOURSELF

   .

   LOCAL ELECTION INFORMATION

   The local Consolidated election will be held on Tuesday, April 17, 2007. The last day to register to vote in the April election is March 20, 2007. The candidates for the three Village Trustee (4-year term) positions are John Scully, Ben Sells and Jean Sussman. There will be three Advisory (non-binding) referendum questions on the ballot as well.

   Referendum No. 1. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District

   Shall the Village of Riverside Establish a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District?

   Referendum No. 2. Property Tax Rate Increase

   In Lieu of establishing a Tax Increment Finance District for the revitalization of the Central Business District, shall the Village of Riverside propose an increase in its corporate property tax rate to support Central business District improvement, including parking, riverfront stabilization, roads, streets, sewer, water, landscape, traffic signal improvements, and for expenses incidental thereto?

   Referendum No. 3. Reconsider Central Business District Zoning

   Shall the Village of Riverside reconsider B2 Zoning (the Central Business District) for the purpose of eliminating the requirement that in certain areas the first floor must be commercial space?

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 10:02 #

2. KimJ
   Member

   ? 1. No.

   ? 2. Infers that a TIF is not a tax increase, which is blatantly false, alone making the question void and unanswerable.

   ? 3. Why is a zoning issue a non-binding referendum question? This is a question for the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Plan Commission. If the B2 Zoning is flawed, revisit it. Again, unanswerable.

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 10:39 #

3. TJS
   Member

   The addition of the other two referenda is very telling of the direction the board is taking. In my view, the board will proceed with the TIF regardless of the results of our referendum. The two questions the boad placed on the ballot are a knee-jerk reaction to the citizens questioning the need for a TIF. Regardless, I will be voting NO for all three questions and encourage all others to do the same. I will also, as usual, vote for "independent" candidates for trustee.

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 10:49 #

4. CuriousResident
   Member

   Who are the independent candidates?

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 11:15 #

5. Catherine
   Member

   I will be voting

   Yes to Sells, because he does not think we qualify for a TIF, and he is right.

   Yes to Sussman, who thinks we should wait and see how the VC does (only common sense, before we end up with a bunch of new, ugly empty spaces.)

   ? to Scully: I believe he has not stated a position pro or con. Maybe a no-vote. What do other people think of him? What has he said?

   Referendum:

   No to TIF.

   Yes to overriding property tax cap. They are just trying to imply this is one of few alternatives. Call them on it. Besides, I would rather pay more than look at TIF mess.

   Yes to condos on the first floor. Again, another red herring and scare tactic to try to get people to vote for the TIF. But if they can't get shops on the first floor, condos will be there anyway, just as allowed in VC. Besides, if no businesses want the space, it is better for them to generate property tax for the village than to sit vacant.

   Where is the sample ballot? Thanks for posting this state secret.

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 14:24 #

6. EricSundstrom
   Member

   Condos are not allowed on the first floor at the VC. Check out the B2 map for the area.

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 14:54 #

7. Catherine
   Member

   My information is that they got a variance that allows them to put condos on the first floor if they cannot get retail lessors for all or any of the space on the first floor. If that is not so, and that circumtance comes to pass, then we will be looking at more empty storefronts.

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 14:57 #

8. MikeT
   Member

   the third ref question is asking the electorate if they wd want the B2 changed to allow anything, including condos, on the street level in the cbd.

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 14:58 #

9. Catherine
   Member

   Hm, I just noticed that the increase is in the corporate property tax rate, and does not propose an overriding of the residential property tax rate cap they are always whining about. What "corporations" do we have in town, what is their tax rate now? Or do I misunderstand?

   Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 15:02 #

10. MikeT
    Member

    I do not know what corporate property tax rate is. When they deliberated on this question at the board meeting, at which I was present, I did not recall this phrasing. Suffice it to say that it is a tax increase.

    I take question two to be: do you want to have property tax increase to do what could be done with a tif (question 1)?

    If you say YES to question two, you are saying YES to two things:

    a) high density infrastructure support (TOD items such as increased condo's, a parking deck and the displacement of families)

    b) a property tax increase to support (a)

    .
    .
    Me?

    I say NO to all of them.

    1 - NO
    a) since I disagree with WHAT they want to do with the TIF (high density housing and displacement of private property; would harm the charm) as well as
    b) the mechanics of the TIF (too much power to the local govt officials who would tend to give away our town's character to developers)
    c) the lack of plan telling us what they will do with the TIF monies
    d) the risk to the schools, a critical Riverside asset

    2 - NO - same as 1a

    3 - NO - we have already carefully went thru years of work on the B2 and, to me, if there would be any change to this, it would be for MORE tightening of development rules, and not less. For example, the current B2 allows the TJMax vision w/o variances. That, to me, is a sufficient objection to the current B2. If the majority of Riversiders think THAT (TJMax) is a correct vision of Riverside, then I've got to give it up -- "the three men I admire most, Fredick, Law, and Olmsted, took the last BNSF to the coast."

    Posted Friday Mar 16, 2007 15:30 #

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