Vote on $2.2 Million Woodstock Road Project Tomorrow, Even Though Defeated in Transportation Committee

Saturday I wrote an article entitled,

Charles and Raffel Roads Roundabout Proposal Comes Around Again, Despite Defeat in Committee Day after Election

I apparently misunderstood where the proposal to award $2,229,600 to Curran Contracting Company of
Crystal Lake was scheduled.

I thought it was coming back to the County Board’s Transportation Committee where it failed the first time around:

When the Charles-Raffel Road roundabout spending approval was before the County Board's Transportation Committee, the measure failed 2-3.

When the Charles-Raffel Road roundabout spending approval was before the County Board’s Transportation Committee, the measure failed 2-3.

But I was wrong.

The measure is scheduled to come up at the County Board’s meeting tomorrow, completely bypassing the Transportation Committee.

Appearing on the agenda is something I have not seen previously:
Raffel Road agenda new + unfinished business

What I have never seen is an agenda item labeled, “New and Unfinished Business.”

“New Business” I understand.

“Unfinished Business” is a mystery.

But I guess it is obvious that someone has decided to try an end run around the Transportation Committee majority which defeated the resolution to spend $2.2 million building a roundabout to accommodate the traffic generated by

  1. Woodstock North High School, built pretty much in the middle of no where on land owned by a former McHenry County Board member and
  2. a school bus barn built even farther in the middle of no where
Charles and Raffel Roads north of Woodstock North High School.

Charles and Raffel Roads north of Woodstock North High School and west of the District 200 bus facility.

When Tina Hill was Chairwoman of the County Board, she put a nomination of a 708 Mental Health Board member on the agenda with that person’s not having been approved by committee.

I guess County Board Chairman Joe Gottemoller has put this resolution calling for spending $2.2 million for a road project on tomorrow morning’s agenda.


Comments

Vote on $2.2 Million Woodstock Road Project Tomorrow, Even Though Defeated in Transportation Committee — 18 Comments

  1. These people are definitely going to Hell.

    Perhaps just not soon enough.

  2. Illinois local tax burden is now widely reported in national financial journals.

    http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/03/residents-in-these-8-states-are-getting-creamed-by.aspx
    Residents in These 8 States Are Getting Creamed by State and Local Taxes, Study Shows — The Motley Fool

    Illinois tops the list at $7836 annual payment in property taxes, State income tax, sales tax, excise tax, vehicle property tax.

    That represents 35.8% higher than the national median paid per household: $5770.

    The report was based upon assumptions of median household income and median home value: $54k and $176k.

    One can imagine that Illinois additional $2000 per year burden places a great strain on a $54,000 household budget.

    When votes like this come up I hope Board members plumb the depths of their indifference to the fates of the people without government guaranteed pensions.

    People who thought their homes were stores of value for retirement are unable to save for retirement due to high property taxes demanding that slice of household budget pie, and County home values (with exceptions in wealthy enclaves) grind ever lower.

    Why do they grind lower?

    Because the excessive property tax rates are capitalized into home values to negative effect.

    How brutally callous must an officeholder be to spend public money on anything other than crisis-level survival?

    It’s nationally reported now, ignorance can no longer be pled.

    Ps in Woodstock, property tax costs alone exceed $7836.

  3. Not to worry.

    Carolyn Schofield will never let this happen.

    She “has too much respect for the process, unlike her fellow county board members” that would even try to bypass the committee.

    Go get em, Carolyn!

  4. The following is from the Board Agenda:

    “, Illinois that the bids be accepted for said contract and that a contract be awarded to Curran Contracting Company, of Crystal Lake, IL in the amount of $2,229,600.0”

    Significant political contributions are made by the Curran family through various avenues. Timothy J. Curran (Curran Group) is also listed as a Director for Home State Bank.

    Information below is not meant to cast aspersions on anyone. It is being provided in the public interest. It may not be complete and can be found on the Illinois State Election Board website.

    Here are some political contributions made by persons or groups with the name Curran included in where the money came from and the persons / groups the money went to:

    $8,000.00 Jourdan Committee to Preserve & Project Good Government
    $3,930.00 Committee to Re-Elect Louis Bianchi
    $3,825.00 Committee to Elect Ken Koehler
    $3,750.00 Citizens for Pamela J Althoff
    $3,360.00 Citizens to Elect Aaron T Shepley
    $3,100.00 Intl Union of Operating Eng Local 150 State County & Local Area PAC
    $2,750.00 Citizens for Rauner, Inc
    $2,305.00 Citizens to Elect Gary W Pack
    $2,250.00 Citizens for Karen McConnaughay
    $1,515.00 Citizens to Elect Phyllis K Walters
    $1,500.00 Citizens for Joe Gottemoller
    $1,500.00 David McSweeney for State Representative
    $1,100.00 Committee to Elect Michael W Tryon
    $1,000.00 Citizens for Rosemary Kurtz
    $835.00 Citizens to Re-Elect Bob Miller
    $750.00 Citizens to Elect Zinke
    $500.00 Citizens to Elect Mike Chmiel
    $500.00 Citizens to Elect Sheriff Nygren
    $300.00 Committee to Elect James S Cowlin to Circuit Judge
    $285.00 Committee to Elect Judge Michael T Caldwell, Circuit Judge
    $250.00 Citizens for Perry Moy
    $200.00 Committee to Elect Gordon E Graham

  5. When this project comes up for a vote, half the County Board members should remember that they’re up for election in two years.

    They should pay close attention to the lessons of the election just past.

    The voters are angry, and they have long memories.

  6. The issue was sent back to committee which will cause a rebid and possible cost increase.

    Seem like this is more about politics than the need to deal with the safety issue.

    We seem to be still in the dark age about benefits of roundabouts.

    I did some quick math which maybe high or low because all the info on the Johnsburg roundabout isn’t on line.

    According to researchers every time we stop at a stop sign or stop light, on average it costs us a dime ($.10 cents) in fuel.

    Johnsburg roundabout has 12k plus movements through it, which means a savings to drivers of over 400k in fuel a year.

    Charles rd roundabout would save over 300k in fuel with a payback in just fuel costs of 7.3 year.

    Anything under 8 years for payback is usually considered a good investment.

    Add the increase safety plus a know savings, what isn’t to like.

    We are finally catching up with the rest of the world, as roundabouts are not new tech, but yet some are afraid of them?

    Politics over long term savings.

  7. You’re describing concern over eventual risk of anemia when our hepatic artery has been severed.

    The County is bleeding out.

    No home buyers can afford to move here at this property tax rate, unless utter oblivious fools or blessed with government pay and benefits.

    No businesses are fool enough to come here without demanding enormous entitlement of public funds including grants, free land for which taxpayers paid dearly, sales tax abatement, property tax abatement….driving existing businesses to stand the same or die.

    In the immortal paraphrased words of Beatrice Kiddo to Elle Driver:

    “Bitch, we don’t HAVE a future”.

  8. ok @Connect the dots

    So because someone serves their committee as a board member and supports local government candidates- a wide variety- you are automatically going to jump to conclusions?

    Not a single person you listed is even on the county board.

    Do you have ANY idea how blessed this county is that the Curran Group did not move out of state?

    They have the bulk of their operations in other states but chose to stay in Crystal Lake because they believe in the community.

    And you yahoos are going to now ding them for being the LOWEST BID?

    @Susan- there is absolutely no facts to back you up- we have had numerous business move their operations to McHenry County in the past year.

    Out of your trees- the lot of you.

  9. Inish: I generally ignore your rants but this one I cannot pass up.

    Obviously you must believe there is some hanky panky here.

    I went out of my way to make the statement:

    “Information below is not meant to cast aspersions on anyone. It is being provided in the public interest.”

    Who is out of their tree?

    BTW Relative to:

    “Not a single person you listed is even on the county board.”

    I am told that Joe Gottemoller is currently on the County Board.

  10. A lot of talk about safety at the intersection.

    Any studies done on how many people are dead because roundabouts slowed down an ambulance which may have made it to the Trauma center on time with electronically activated traffic lights?

  11. Seems the only ones that have romanticized the roundabout are the liberals that want to tell everyone else how to live (because they are just so much smarter than the rest of the world).

    Go back and listen to your “Yessongs” album and leave us alone!

  12. This county still must have lot’s of dial phones and dial up internet too.

  13. Take care of the damn roads we have.

    We don’t need a Roundabout in the middle of a cornfield!

    PERIOD!

    ENOUGH!

  14. @ connect the dots- I question the inclusion of the list- regardless of the lead in statement- you clearly had intent or the post is irrelevant.

    As evident by your comment- “Significant political contributions are made by the Curran family through various avenues.

    Timothy J. Curran (Curran Group) is also listed as a Director for Home State Bank.”

    How else does one take that comment?

    And yes, I did miss that one out of the 22 people listed currently is on the County board.

    I made a mistake.

    This county needs road improvements.

    The kind of comments like Questionings comment that someone may die because of a roundabout slowing travel to a hospital is exactly why I think the readers of this blog are out of their trees.

  15. take roundabout money and fix Bull Valley and Country Club Road were they meet

    too much patching and tax payer money WASTED

    fix it right the first time PLEASE.

    another thing

    who in the hell approve the traffic light at RT120 and Fleming another wasted project more tax payer money in the drain.

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