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1. MikeT
   Member

   My wife, after reading the Sub Life today, just noted to me that the Tax referendum question she read in the Sub Life was different than the one that I described to her after I came back from the 2/05 meeting.

   Is this poor reporting, or did the village change the language from what was discussed at the public meeting? Or is my recollection incorrect? What are others' understanding of what the language was that was deliberated on with the tax question?

   To wit:

   The Sub Life says

   In lieu of establishing a TIF for the revitalization of the CBD, shall the Village raise the tax...(my emphasis)

   I DO NOT RECALL the prefatory phrase IN LIEU OF ESTABLSHING A TIF... in the language that was deliberated on in the 2/5 meeting.

   THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PHRASE IN THE QUESTION TO THE ELECTORATE! and, if my recollection is true, THEN IT IS A WORSE THING THAT THERE WERE A VARIATION FROM WHAT THEY DELIBERATED ON IN FRONT OF THE PUBLIC !

   IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT WE COULD NOT COMMENT AFTER THEY CONSIDERED THE QUESTIONS, BUT TO CHANGE IT WITHOUT THE PUBLIC LISTENING, IS WORSE.

   I just checked the Landmark and it did not indicate such a phrase before the Tax question.

   Landmark said--
   In response, trustees have placed two more questions on the ballot. One asks if residents would support a property tax increase to support infrastructure improvements in the central business district.

   Obviously, only an inspection of the video tape and/or the verbatim transcript wd clarify this. The last meeting minutes on the Village website is 11-20-2006.

   ***How can a resident look at the video of a board meeting?***

   miket

   Posted Saturday Feb 10, 2007 21:44 #

2. spatny
   Member

   Mike - the "In lieu of" phrase is not in the official papers drawn up for the ballot. It starts Shall bonds in an amount..." But there was a mistka in the breakdown numbers attached for the packet - but that was an honest mistake by Kevin which he admitted was an error and apologized for. It must be a mistake or an addition by the newspapr.

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 10:33 #

3. MDS
   Member

   The "In lieu of establishing a TIF district..." wording does appear on the tax increase question, and that question actually asks if the village should "propose and increase in its corporate property tax rate."

   So now the question becomes does a "corporate property tax rate" increase only affect businesses? I assume this is different than a residential property tax rate increase...

   - Mark D. Shevitz

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 12:46 #

4. Aberdeen
   Member

   The Public Notice currently posted on the Village website has the following wording on the "Revised Agenda":

   5. Ordinance Authorizing Advisory Question Of Public Policy To Be Placed On Ballot Whether A Property Tax Rate Increase Should Be Proposed To Support Central Business District Improvements

   Here's a link: http://www.riverside.il.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={04C262D0-5111-4C24-9C03-BFF97468F89C}

   [From there, go to "Village Board" menu, click on "Agendas" and click on the 2/5/07 Special Meeting Notice. I couldn't get it to copy. Sorry.]

   The "in lieu of" and "corporate property tax rate" language came up once in the course of the trustees 2/5/07 discussion, but it was not emphsized. I remember wondering if there would be any follow-up on that. Perhaps this language was on the original and not the Revised Agenda?

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 14:16 #

5. MikeT
   Member

   How can we get a look at the video?

   Was there a transcription done? If so, how can we look at it?

   I also did not hear corporate tax rate. But my memory is far from perfect.

   Can we look at the real questions that are going to be on the ballot? I cannot find the Sub Life anymore. Can someone scan the packet hardcopy and then post it here? If you put it as an attachment, pls send it to idicnews@YAHOO.COM and I can get it hosted, then posted.

   I just re-looked at MDS's summary of the 2-05 meeting done right after the meeting and it did not specify 'In Lieu of', nor did it say 'corporate tax '.

   I notice, ironically, that the last page of that 77 post thread had corbi questioning someone of accusing our trustees of lying.
   http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic.php?id=160&page=3&replies=77#post-2490

   The board is acting like they care about the spirit of the Open Meetings Act so much that they do not come on this forum, then they do this? Why did I go to the meeting and not help my kids with their school project if they would do this?

   'In Lieu of' makes a suggestion to the electorate that if they vote No TIF that might mean a tax increase. this is totally wrong. There is no connection between the two.

   The base question is whether the Riverside electorate wants such unplanned discretionary things as high density housing, car congestion, parking decks, and the like. That is what a tif would enable as well as a tax increase.

   This is also ironic that I was just commenting that the board has been acting 'above board' since the tif pause to someone who had much experience w/ previous Riverside boards of the past - the stories this person told me! I guess I s/ have knocked on wood.

   miket

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 14:47 #

6. MDS
   Member

   My understanding of a "corporate property tax rate" now leads me to believe it does indeed affect homeowners' property taxes. The "corporate" refers to a certain portion of your tax bill.

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 17:50 #

7. Elisa
   Member

   MDS ~ Where did you see "corporate property tax"? I didn't see it in the Suburban Life article on-line.

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 17:53 #

8. spatny
   Member

   It's in the text for the ballot, and in the enabling Ordinance wording. Curiously it is not in the wording on the title page of the Ordinance.

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 20:58 #

9. Elisa
   Member

   Where do you find the text for the ballot? Is it on the Village web site? Why would they discuss one thing and then put different wording on the actual ballot?

   Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 21:23 #

10. spatny
    Member

    I requested and received the packet that the Trustee's get. The Ordinance says

    "ordinance authorizing advisory question of public policy to be placed on the ballot whether a property tax rate increase should be proposed to support central business district improvements."

    That's the Ordinance total - all caps. The advisory question text to be placed on the ballot reads:

    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 improvements, including parking, riverfront stabilization, roads streets, sewer, water, landscape, traffic signal improvements, and for expenses incidental thereto? Yes or No.

    Presumably they think voters will be "induced" via this wording to vote "no" on this and "yes" on the TIF question. This is not on the website that I can find.

    Posted Sunday Feb 11, 2007 21:41 #

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