McHenry County Blog

A friend has forwarded an article from the Daily Herald by Marna Pyke about what George Ranney, head of something called Metropolis Strategies, and Jim LeBelle, a former Chairman of the Lake County Board, want to do to township road commissioners–abolish them.

This is a group that supported the 88% toll tax hike of Governor Pat Quinn.

No mention in its press release that it has a clue that the Tollway gets no Motor Fuel Taxes paid by vehicle using the Tollway, that most of this revenue gets shunted by the Illinois Department of Transportation outside of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Somehow, I would think an organization with the word “metropolis” in its title might take an interest in a rip-off like that, but, apparently, there is no interest.

As I read the statement of LaBelle on the toll tax hike, I found one marvelous idea:

“The Tollway should adopt a fair and practical method of ‘land value capture’ to help pay for improvements.

“Value capture enables property owners and communities in locations that especially benefit economically from improvements to help pay for them.”

Based on the “site value taxation” of property by the first great American economist, Henry George, it basically says that the increase in value of public improvements should help pay for them. That’s how the new interchange at Route 47 should be finance, rather than forcing McHenry County taxpayers to pick up part of the tab.

In the article for which I do not have a link, LaBelle argues for elimination of township road commissioners.

He wants legislation because the township road commissioners are not “cost-effective.”

Other initiatives include

• developing a regional economic plan to counter lackluster job and business growth
• pushing the state to come up with a plan to handle freight congestion
• doubling riders on mass transit
• assessing alternatives to prison for nonviolent offenders and addressing climate change

Regional government advocates have been around as long as I have been active in the political arena.

All of them have one common thread, that they, who mainly live in Chicago, know best what should happen out here in the sticks of McHenry County and other provinces useful only for the taxes they pay.

I met Ranney at my last debate in 1974 on the creation of the Regional Transportation Authority. He represented the “RTA Citizens Committee for Better Transportation.”  I kid you not. That was the title of the proponents’ front group for Downtown Chicago property owners.

As I have said previously, I tried to get other suburban legislators to help- carry the media burden but could get any takers.

Because I was not about to cede the Chicago media market to the “Chicago knows best” crowd, I ended up doing all sorts of interviews, press conferences and debates.

So, it was the Friday before the primary election and here Ranney and I were at some small FM radio studio in an old Chicago high rise.

Last debate of the campaign. The biggies, like WIND and WGN’s Milt Rosenberg’s Extension 720 (where State Rep. Gene Schlickman of Arlington Heights joined me) were over.

After the debate at the elevator he said, “If we had known what a fight you McHenry County people were going to put up, we would have left you out.”

My reply: “Now you tell me.”

Ranney has been one of Governor Richard Ogilvie’s “whiz kids,” if memory serves me correctly, and was the son of one of the biggies at Inland Steel.

We later served on the Commission on the Year 2000 or something with a similar name, where I got to know and like him. He was one of those who would not be insulted by being labeled a “moderate Republican.”

 

There’s nothing wrong with Northwest Herald reporter Kevin Craver’s front page article about Metra’s board voting to purchase McHenry County Board Chairman’s property in Ridgefield.

It contains much of the same information in these McHenry County Blog articles (listed in reverse order of publication):

Friday, 8-14-9 Metra Votes to Purchase Ridgefield Station Site

Friday, 8-14-9 Craig Steagall Unleashes Broadside Against McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler over Metra State Land Purchase

Friday, 8-14-9 Metra Scheduled to Approve Former Flowerwood Land for Station in Ridgefield This Morning

Thursday, 8-13-9 $1.5 Million Being Paid for Ridgefield Metra Site Half-Owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler

Thursday, 8-13-9 Metra Transparency Worse than McHenry County College’s

Wednesday, 8-12-9 Ridgefield Businessman Takes on McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler over Proposed Metra Station

Friday, 8-7-9 Musings on the Proposed Ridgefield Metra Station

Wednesday, 8-5-9 Alexander Lumber’s Move to Ridgefield, Proposed Metra Station Implications

But the headline writer might make people think that Metra is “tentative” about the deal.

That appointed board is not.

If the City of Crystal Lake annexes the land and agrees to manage the parking lot, it’s a done deal.

There may be a real fight on the Crystal Lake Zoning and Planning Board and the Crystal Lake City Council, but that will probably be over whether the site makes sense from a regional planning perspective.

That is a very real question, in my opinion.

Is this the first step into turning Country Club Road north toward McConnell Road into a commercial and industrial strip?

Will Crystal Lake annex all of Downtown Ridgefield?

Will the city council decide that there is more sales tax revenue in a Walgreens or CVS than the antique shops on the triangular shaped land on the north side of the narrow part of Country Club Road that runs through Ridgefield?

Hey, the road has to be widened anyway,

That means the antique shops have to be demolished anyway, right?

Will the city use condemnation powers to take the land, as Cicero, Chicago and other cities have done in the name of economic development, or will a retail establishment agree to pay enough for the land that the present owners will willingly sell and, in return for appropriate zoning, “donate” sufficient right-of-way for a widened road?

Think massive development of that area isn’t being contemplated?

Then, consider this viewpoint, found in Marna Pyke’s Daily Herald article, by former Lake County Board Chairman, now a Metra board member, at Friday’s meeting:

“Metra Director Jim LaBelle, who represents Lake County, said he regretted there were no plans for housing next to the train station.

“‘It looks like a parking lot in the middle of the country,’ he said.”

As with the McHenry County College stadium fight, residents near the proposed Metra stop won’t carry much weight in City of Crystal Lake deliberations because they live outside the city limits. And considering the city’s unwillingness to annex the Crystal Lake Manor, which it complete surrounds, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for city officials to become interested in making current Ridgefield residents taxpaying citizens. (And, there wouldn’t be any advantage to the Ridgefield residents anyway, because there is no water and/or sewer required by the commuter parking lot.)

One argument those living outside of Crystal Lake might be able to develop is the same one used by stadium opponents–the covering of Crystal Lake’s watershed with a big asphalt parking lot.

757 parking spaces covered with an impermeable surface might move those interested in the health of the lake to action again.

And, since the biggest potential beneficiary is McHenry County College, a coalition might be built that contains both supporters and opponents of the college’s minor league baseball stadium.

Surely a station on the college’s (west) side of the railroad tracks would be more convenient and safer for students who might use the train to get to classes.

No one really knows how much use college students might make of such service. But planning for future growth at the college campus, which now is right across Ridgefield Road from the train tracks should receive serious consideration.

College officials I talked to knew of no contact about the suitability of the location from Metra since the parking lot site was selected January 5, 2009.

One told me she first learned of Metra’s selection “from reading the paper.”

The NW Herald article is posted as going up on its web site Tuesday, August 4th. I think it was printed on Wednesday, however.

So, a major question exists about why Metra kept it a secret from the public for seven months.

Why were there no public hearings on such a growth generator?

Why was this deal rushed through?

Why does the contract have a clause saying,

How complete absurd, unless there is more than meets the eye.

Why is Metra paying so much more than the $67,000 an acre McHenry County College paid just last year for 57 acres down the road?

MCC negotiated its contract on the Gilger property at the top of the real estate boom.

Now McHenry County is in the canyon of the market.

Metra will not win the transparency award for 2009.

The paperwork given Metra board members indicates that Crystal Lake officials were in the know earlier than the public.

No change of policy there.

Remember the college stadium time line?

No knowledge of it appeared in the NW Herald until the day after McHenry County Blog broke the story. Then, Mayor Aaron Shepley filled the paper’s front page with its praise.

There will also have to be vote of the McHenry County Board, but it’s about money spent for roads when 84 Lumber was built after approval by the county board.

Without a favorable vote, the deal, as approved by Metra’s board, will not go through.
= = = = =
You see Devil’s Mound above on the left.

The canyon is in Idaho near Balanced Rock.

At the bottom is Balanced Rock. You can see a boy who has climbed up to it. This story reminds me of the apprehension that some might have that the rock might fall on them…or on us taxpayers.