McHenry County Blog

The founder of Freeport, Illinois, Tutty Baker, who died in 1855, is the pseudonym of a Stephenson County blogger. He calls his publication the Stephenson Blumdoggle.

The blog seems to have been inspired by Stephenson County’s Board Chairman, whose last name is Blum.

John Blum and his county board seem to have put the taxpayers in debt to build an industrial park that has not worked out too well.

Hence, the play on the word “boondoggle,”

Look at the blog's purpose: "An honest source of informed opinion for Freeport and Stephenson County."

Imagine my surprise when I discovered an article about an article about the McHenry County Finance Committee that ran on McHenry County Blog yesterday.

Tutty’s article is entitled,

A Freeport Connection in McHenry County

Here's the book I finished much too late Monday night to make the County Board's Finance Committee meeting.

I was finished a good novel–”Julian Comstock, A Story of 22nd Century America” by Robert Charles Wilson–last night, so didn’t make it to the County’s Administrative Building for the Finance Committee meeting.

But I am interested if the Committee members recommended selling Z Financial two lots in the Village of Wonder Lake with a market value, according to the assessor last year, of over $30,000 for $1,300.

While it probably has no connection, Z Financial gave three multi-thousand dollar contributions to County Treasurer Bill LeFew a couple of years ago.

Tutty suggests that his readers might be interested in looking at the Illinois State Board of Elections pages that show

• contributions from Z Financial and
• contributions from John Zajicek, its owner.

Zajicek is identified as an “investor” in reports made to the state.

I note the Bill LeFew is not the only County Treasurer to whom the company and the man have made contributions.

Largest political contributions made by Z Financial.

Looking at the McHenry County Board’s agenda and committee packet for Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting, I saw that a Freeport company called Z Financial Illinois G Properties, LLC, is going to be allowed to purchase two parcels for $1,300.

The County seems to be selling property county government has obtained because people didn’t pay their taxes on it.

Not much money involved, but, on a whim, I decided to take a look at campaign contributions.

So, into the Illinois State Board of Elections contributions’ search engine I typed “Z Financial.”

Here’s what popped up:

• $2,500 (3rd largest contribution made by the firm) – Bill LeFew 10/24/6
• $2,000 (tie for 4th largest contribution made by the firm) – Bill LeFew 11/13/4
• $2,000 (tie for 4th largest contribution made by the firm) – Bill LeFew 10/24/8

Nothing listed more recently.

No indication of any connection of the contributions over two years ago to anything happening this year, of course.

I decided to see what Z Financial wanted to purchase for $1,300, so I looked up the Property Index Numbers in the Treasurer’s data base. (Boy, do I wish I had that capability when I was County Treasurer from 1977-70. I tried to use note cards to keep up with addresses and couldn’t do it. Just too many changes.)

PIN numbers 09 06 281 015 and 016 are each ssessed (after the state multiplier) at $6,188. Total market value, according to the assessor, would be over $37,000 (three times the assessed value). From Google’s information, I can’t tell if it is two empty lots, but the parcels are adjacent, so a house probably could be built on them, if they are empty.

Seems they might be worth more than $1,300 in resolution in the County Board’s Finance Committee’s packet.

Squad totaled on Greenwood Road this summer.

The State of Illinois allows local governments to purchase things state government buys at the same price the state pays.

So, local governments, in many instances, can find a cheaper price using the bulk buying power of Illinois largest employer than they can by themselves.

That is what is scheduled to be authorized on Tuesday at the Finance Committee meeting.

A resolution being considered will authorize county purchasing officials “to negotiate into a contract for sixteen (16) new police pursuit vehicles with Miles Chevrolet of Decatur.”

In this case, the State is piggy backing on a Cook County contract. The Sheriff and the Director of Purchasing is making the recommendation.

Presumably, the car above is one scheduled for replacement.

I have received the following statement from Frank Wedig, Chairman of the McHenry County Green Party. He ran for a District 5 county board seat (how well he did is in this article) and, next, Dorr Township Trustee.

“One of the components of the Green Party Platform that is at the lop of my priority list is Fiscal Responsibility.

“The $15 Million Federal Stimulus Bonds to be allocated to the Woodstock Baseball Stadium do not meet that criterion.

“If the Stadium starts out being heavily subsidized by taxpayer money, future taxpayer bailouts are almost guaranteed.

“What is worse, if future bailouts are not forthcoming the $15 Million Dollars will have been lost – wasted. The economics of the stadium should stand on their own and be totally transparent.

“I am against corporate welfare, but in these difficult economic times some Government stimulus to the private sector can be justified.

“Spending the limited stimulus money on an entertainment complex is economically unsustainable. There will be good paying construction jobs initially, but then the permanent service-sector jobs will be low paying.

“For this Stadium to succeed, the local residents will have to spend their hard-earned money on entertainment. There are only so many entertainment dollars a family can spend. In this economy, people’s discretionary income may be diminished for a long time to come.

“This whole thing just doesn’t make good economic nor policy sense.”

An article that focused on the issue, on the Tuesday agenda at the Finance Committee meeting at 9:30, can be found here. Here is an article about the Woodstock City Council meeting that approved the proposal.

= = = = =
The photo is of Frank Wedig knocking on doors while running for Dorr Township Trustee.

You need a quorum for a board meeting.

Right now the Huntley school board has only one board member as a carryover for its Finance Committee.

That would be Kevin Gentry.

Hard to have a quorum with one committee member.

Finance Committee members Tony Quagliano and Larry Snow are no longer on the board.

Replacement members to the Finance Committee have not yet been appointed and approved by the Board. Board approval is required by the board’s policy. Such a vote of approval can only occur at a scheduled board meeting and that hasn’t happened yet.

Will the new board members pretend it doesn’t matter if the new board follows board policy or the Open Meetings Act?

Board member Aileen Seedorf alerted the board to a similar situation at the last Committee of the Whole meeting.

She pointed out the Legislative Committee could not convene because Snow, the chairman, and Quagliano were no longer on that committee. The board agreed to not officially have the Legislative Committee that evening.

For those at home hoping to follow your school district’s finances, well, you can’t. At least not for now. Neither the Building nor Finance Committee board packets are posted online.

Shawn Green was elected Board President again, but he missed his first Committee of the Whole meeting.

Last night a contract negotiation meeting was held between Huntley’s teachers union and the negotiating committee for the Board. Absent was the administration. Apparently the Superintendent, Controller and Human Resources Director all had other more important things to do.

Board President Shawn Green was very vocal that the union should discuss their proposals in public.

Good for him!

Illinois should follow Florida’s example and conduct all union negotiations in public.

Apparently the union wants to bring its proposal for early retirement benefits to the board in secret session.

If the teachers union’s proposal has merit, then why wouldn’t the teachers want to present it in public?

Is the answer a bit obvious?

The agreement between the Board and union says that on consensus the proposal will be brought to the board.

Has there been a consensus?

The agreement also calls for consideration of an alternate salary schedule plan. (For information about past salary hikes, go here.)

With what they won after their strike, why would the Huntley Education Association want to change anything in the salary schedule?

The teachers obviously want their retirement benefits sweetened, but they don’t seem to want to talk about the current really sweet deal they have on automatic salary increases.

The union is refusing to talk about changing salary schedule.

The current longevity step increase is 3 1/2%–quite high when compared to other schools. That means starting salaries for teachers might have to be lower than surrounding districts to compensate for the later huge automatic step increases.

Of course, starting salaries are easier for reporters to understand than step increases.

And how much sense does it make to pay extra money for double masters’ degrees?

That’s in the salary schedule.

Unless increased performance can be linked to a second master’s degree, does it make sense to pay extra for it?

Just asking.

= = = = =
The photo of the teachers in HEA shirts was taken the night they confronted the board.