Second Library Referendum “Tabled Indefinitely”

Ellen Brady Mueller

It took twelve minutes for the Crystal Lake City Council to finish its public business tonight.

Most items were handled on a consent agenda.

Included in the motion that Ellen Brady Mueller made was the indefinite tabling of a resolution to hold a second advisory referendum asking the public if it favored borrowing $30.1 million.

No one objected.

Over 55% of the voters in the Presidential Election said, “No.”


Comments

Second Library Referendum “Tabled Indefinitely” — 8 Comments

  1. Her family went door to door promoting the library.

    I think she is just doing this because she is running for election and is going the other way for votes.

    Not a good candidate for the position she seeks.

  2. I agree with Terri –

    At a recent CL City Council meeting, there was a brief discussion about asking Mayor Shepley’s favorite business district merchants and building owners to start paying for some of their own expenses and not relying on the City paying these expenses for them, out of the General Fund.

    These are expenses that every other business in Crystal Lake has to pay on their own such as the building, maintenance, and plowing of parking lots.

    Mayor Shepley’s favorite business district has also been the recipient of parking lot purchases and new parking lot construction, enhanced streetscaping, grants, and many other nice perks, all completed AFTER the Tif district expired and shortly after the City of Crystal Lake raised the retail tax.

    (Just an observation and probably a coincidence! The Crystal Lake General Fund is largely funded by retail tax dollars.)

    When a large parking lot was rebuilt in 2015, the local merchants in Mayor Shepley’s favorite business district asked if the City could include a larger outdoor seating area for a multi-billion dollar, national coffee chain.

    Many building owners in Mayor Shepley’s favorite business district have essentially gutted and rebuilt their buildings but still enjoy ridiculously low property taxes, when compared to other commercial properties in other townships.

    When you hear Mayor Shepley and some of the other city council members speak about business in Crystal Lake, they only reference their favorite business district, leaving Route 14 merchants out of the discussion.

    It’s their little Norman Rockwell area, they love it, and that is all they care about.

    They don’t seem to realize that there are other businesses in town that actually contribute to the retail tax base compared to Mayor Shepley’s favorite business district, filled with non-retail tax generating businesses such as banks, attorneys, nail salons, hair salons, yoga, massage barbers, etc.

    These non-retail tax generating businesses are not contributing to the City of CL General fund, but they are certainly enjoying a lot of free perks!

    I drive by the City owned and maintained parking lot on the corner of Crystal Lake Avenue and Main Street every day and it is always empty, yet always plowed, yet the merchants in Mayor Shepley’s favorite business district are always wailing about their parking challenges.

    What a waste of money that the city might use to fill some of pot holes in town.

    The well-meaning, mostly-townie City Council Members and the Mayor have essentially split the business community in Crystal Lake.

    This is not healthy.

    Businesses (outside of Mayor Shepley’s favorite business district) don’t expect the City to subsidize them – they just want an even playing field and some recognition that they exist and contribute.

    Ellen is one of them.

    What is really fascinating to me is during the City Council Meeting discussion, Ellen did not see a reason to make her (and Mayor Shepley’s) favorite business district have some skin in the game and even out the playing field among Crystal Lake businesses because she feels that these merchants “are the only ones that do anything for Crystal Lake.”

    Wow.

    This is so incredibly wrong and insulting to all of the other businesses in town (most in Algonquin township), that contribute and donate constantly to area charities, schools, and non-profits.

    This just further illustrates how out-of-touch and myopic our City Leaders are.

    Now Ellen wants to be the Algonquin Township Supervisor, representing all of the Algonquin Township businesses that she insulted?

    Really?

    She has some explaining to do.

  3. Also never trust anyone receiving an obscenely large check from Centegra.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *