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November 21st Meeting - What did you think?

(24 posts)
  1. ChrisHajer
    Member

    Update 1/4/07: I just received this email flash from the village:

    The official reporter transcript from the November 21, 2006 Board of Trustees Special Meeting is now available on-line. The topic of the special meeting was the discussion of the Tax Increment Financing Project. The transcript can be found under the TIF documents section in the TIF FAQ area of the Village website www.riverside.il.us

    Or you can click on TIF Documents

    Or, you can follow this link http://tinyurl.com/y52ppq

    It's a 189 page PDF, but it's only 240K so it will load quickly, and it's searchable.

    Posted Thursday Jan 4, 2007 16:22 #
  2. Catherine
    Member

    MikeS: The 11/9 Meeting was billed as a "workshop" for those taxing bodies and I in no way had the impression the public was welcome.

    People were there to convey the thoughts and feelings they had no prior opportunity to express. The village didn't even notify me I was IN a TIF district. The ghastly bore of propaganda that passed for a presentation was neither desired nor informative.

    Your persistence in implying that residents who have negative thoughts and feelings about this proposal are not "rational" and "emotional" and not "sincere"ly interested in "understanding the issues", is highly patronizing, insulting, and unproductive. Think about that before you give advice to anyone else about what discourse is productive.

    Posted Thursday Jan 4, 2007 17:00 #
  3. ChrisHajer
    Member

    Reading the transcript, I see a lot of places where a resident posed their questions, but these questions go unanswered by KMA and the village. There were a lot of good questions posed at the 11/21 meeting that went unanswered.

    Posted Thursday Jan 4, 2007 17:56 #
  4. MikeSedivy
    Member

    Catherine, Please help me understand what is wrong with the above statement:

    "If anyone has a sincere interest in better understanding the issues, I think it is important to seek out rational arguments on both sides and make your own decision."

    I do not see how this can be construed as patronizing, insulting, or unproductive.

    Posted Thursday Jan 4, 2007 18:59 #
  5. Catherine
    Member

    It is the entire tone of your remark and others that is so. Your characterization of the citizens and taxpayers comments at the meeting are also so. Unlike you, we are not insider members of the EDC privy to all the information you already have, and I will wager that if your house were marked for a parking lot you would lose your sang froid immediately.

    Please don't waste my time on this again. I am sure you understand me perfectly well.

    Posted Friday Jan 5, 2007 00:45 #
  6. MikeSedivy
    Member

    Catherine - I do not understand your comment at all and would be interested to hear if others share your feelings. My comment that "emotions were high" was not made in a negative sense but rather to try and explain what I do feel was an unfortunate tone to the meeting - the fault of which I prescribed to both pro- and anti-TIF camps.

    I am not privy to any information that is not available to you. I think you have pointed out in other posts that this would be criminal.

    Posted Friday Jan 5, 2007 10:07 #
  7. Catherine
    Member

    "The intent of the 11/21 meeting was the same, but it deteriorated rapidly with personal attacks and very few questions. Emotions were high, especially with residents within the TIF boundary. I do feel the Village and its consultants did a poor job on 11/21 as opposed to 11/9. I was encouraged by one gentlemen who lived in the proposed TIF district who did comment on how impressed he was with the time Kathleen Rush spent with him in educating him on the proposal. The public meetings to date were not required and were a good-faith attempt to educate the public. If anyone has a sincere interest in better understanding the issues, I think it is important to seek out rational arguments on both sides and make your own decision. I don't think anyone on either side should feel good about how the events of 11/21 transpired and I'm certain the transcripts and video will reflect that."

    I let your words speak for themselves.

    As to your meeting minutes, I understand they are sometimes if not often redacted or after review by and at the request of the Board. Is this true?

    Also, it would be very 21st century if such documents were made available online in order to spread and enhance the knowledge that may be contained therein.

    As to rational discussion of the issue, I have repeatedly asked pro-TIFfers, EDC people on this site, and the village government to provide an account of what infrastructure maintenance improvements are required now and projected in the future, how much funds are required now and what are projected future requirements are, and why we cannot fund them by means other than a TIF. How do you expect people to make a responsible decision if we cannot even get that information. Is it because no one has bothered to compile it? No doubt you have. Please supply it if you truly desire to promote rational dialogue based upon empirical evidence and sound logic.

    Posted Friday Jan 5, 2007 10:21 #
  8. MikeSedivy
    Member

    During my time on the EDC, no minutes have ever been modified and have all been approved as drafted. I am not sure which Board you are referring to, but certainly the Village Board of Trustees has no input into our minutes at all. We are clearly free to amend the minutes if there is a disagreement on them, but that hasn't happened during my tenure. Minutes from the previous meeting are approved at the following meeting so there is at least a 30-day lag to approving minutes and potentially longer if we don't have a quorum (which has happened).

    I am not privy to infrastructure maintenance costs now and in the future. There is simply not enough time in the day. The EDC resolution passed last night did specifically request the Village to identify, detail, and prioritize these costs for all of our benefit. We have heard your requests and agree.

    Posted Friday Jan 5, 2007 10:58 #
  9. Catherine
    Member

    It is for another member to comment on the first paragraph then.

    Ms Rush, as you can see in my post, will soon provide the information. I'm glad we all agree it is relevant.

    Posted Friday Jan 5, 2007 11:06 #
  10. riversider
    Member

    Forgive me if I missed it in all these messages, but are the minutes from the EDC meetings posted online? I only see the agendas on the village website.

    thank you

    Posted Monday Jan 22, 2007 12:54 #

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