For those who have heard me talk about or read my views of how the McHenry County Conservation District has treated the Crystal Lake area, as defined by Grade School District 47’s boundaries know, I think the Crystal Lake area has been cheated.
Since 1971, 23-24% of the property tax dollars collected by MCCD have come from the greater Crystal Lake area.
What have we gotten back?
Out of the $68.5 million bond issue passed in 2001, it looks like we got $90,000 for a parking lot for a bike path between Crystal Lake and Woodstock.
That’s less than 2/10 of 1 percent return on our tax dollars.
How about the rest of the last 35 years?
I’ll certainly grant that there is a popular bike path, but will remind you that it was subsidized by state grants.
Yes, there is the Hollows, but it was donated by Material Service.
Part of the Lake in the Hills Fen is in District 47, but you can’t get there without going through Lake in the Hills.
And, most recently, I think, a parcel of land was bought in 1999 which is west of West Grade School across from the Crystal Lake Park District’s tot lot. But the seller is still living there, so it can’t be developed, as I reported yesterday.
I don’t think Crystal Lake has gotten its fair share of open space money from the MCCD.
Do you?
A vacuuming analogy comes to mind.
The Conservation District sucks up Crystal Lake’s tax dollars and sprinkles them elsewhere in McHenry County.
Thank you for continuing to point this out, Cal.
If state statute would allow (or change), I’d favor rolling up this grand local experiment called “MCCD” under the County auspices where it now belongs, and streamline the process. Phase OUT MCCD. It has done some good, but it has now crossed over into “fat-and-happy” status–not what’s best for the taxpayers footing the bill for another police force, pensions, administration, etc.
A better alternative is to re-engineer this to empower our local County Board Members to represent us and fight for us. They need to earn their incomes, their pensions and darn-good health insurance too. Let local municipalities fight for us too. That’s their job – to REPRESENT US, in unfettered and buck-stops-here fashion. With sub-governmental tentacles like commissions and districts, voters have all but forgotten who to turn to when they need legitimate solutions that only government can deliver.
The saturated-fat consuming we allow in our governmental system has converted our own system into diabetic state–undisciplined, and hungry for more of your tax dollars to spend in places that are not fair, and rarely in your best interest.
If it’s percentage of land they’re after, that’s the wrong formula from the outset. The formula should be priority driven, with the Voters’ directly in the line of fire served first.
While Southern McHenry County chokes on its own exhaust, we’re to thank MCCD for blowing smoke up our collective tailpipes by redistributing our income and purchasing land elsewhere, at OUR exclusion?
It’s not selfish to demand the NEXT $73 Million which was just approved to be “invested” in southern McHenry County. It’s of utmost importance to set aside much-needed land for natural water and air filtration, heat absorption, to offset further crowding, and even provide for future transportation corridors (like Camp Algonquin). CHANGE MCCD’s CRITERIA to allow for purchase of smaller sections of land. This is what’s needed TODAY. If the formula would have been in place over a decade ago, would we be receiving a “D” grade on our air quality today?
I don’t hold out much hope, as MCCD wouldn’t even share with the voting public where the next target areas are to purchase. Why not? Is it outside our line of sight once again? Probably so. Any good lawyer knows not to show the cards early on – especially when early polls indicate an apathetic electorate.
Sure I’m in the minority, but I’m in favor of a total reorganization and streamlining of area government to be more responsive and less costly. Be the “Southwest Airlines” of local government and go for it.
Perhaps it will be the kick-off to a long overdue slim-fast governmental diet.
With MCCD in the middle, muddying the waters, we’re one MORE step away from realizing progress, and we’re once again paying MORE for LESS.
Funny, years ago, well-meaning folks intending to preserve land, water and air quality in this so-called “Republican” county went and created another layer of governmental oversight; another layer of control, taxation, as well as opportunity for Daley-esque patronage jobs.
It did some good, to be sure; however, at the same time, it further diluted the role of our REAL local representatives – our Municipal Council Members and our County Board Members.
While meaning well, my 2-cent conclusion is that the move did more harm than good. Now, MCCD stands unfettered in no-man’s land, and mitigates Voters’ rights to experience fair treatment. While folks up north and west experience a higher “quality of life,” we in the south suffer from HIGHER air pollution and MORE legitimate fears of impending water shortages, and continuing arterial clogging of our TOTALLY UNFUNDED roadways.
To top it off, ironically, we PAID for the inequity, and it looks as if we’ll continue to pay.
Folks, it’s just like our taxes and rolling-toll road funding dollars geting hoovered right into Daley’s hepa-approved money filter. We’re getting sucked dry, and worse yet, we don’t seem to care.
Weird.
Democrats, don’t worry about a thing. Quit killing yourselves to get a seat at the table. Look around, you’re already here. Sure, our voting record out here in McHenry County may officially say the word “Republican,” but take a look around and breathe in. It smells a lot more like donkey and less like elephant to me.
“Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.”
-Ronald Reagan
-John Coonen