McHenry County Blog

Here is the direct mail piece designed to “close the sale” with voters. 4,700 in all.

Provenzano says he supports "enhanced" Economic Disclosure, opposed (what I call the McHenry County Republican) cat tax, wants to internet streaming of county board meetings, sponsored the Whistleblower ordinance to "root out fraud," opposed the $10 million increase in county spending and employee/public official pay raises, plus helped the State's Attorney "slash outside attorney's fees saving tax payer dollars."

The back side of Nick Provensano's last mailing emphasizes endorsements. Click to enlarge.

It would be interesting to compare the endorsements above with the ones Provenzano listed when he announced his candidacy last July.

In an email accompanying the images above, Provenzano wrote,

“On the last mail piece, I was going to add a photo of Keely Cat next to the Cat Tax comment but attempts to reach his agent went unanswered.”

Keely Cat still lifts his tail at the thought of those county board members who wanted to tax him in order to help pay for that Animal Control Shelter on Route 14. The proponents argued that Keely and other house cats needed to be protected from rabid bats, but were going to exempt barn cats. Keely is just your average cat, but even average cats know barn cats are more likely to see a rabid bat than a house cat. (In the background you see my daughter Alexandra and my parents Eleanor and Cal Skinner.)

Just in case you want to know who voted for the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax, you can find out here.

This is what Provenzano’s Saturday robo-call to 4,200 people said,

“Hi this is Nick Provenzano, wait don’t hang up, I hate these robo calls as much as you do, but I have a tax alert message that you need to hear.

“I’m sure your household budget was much like mine, growing smaller everyday, and finding ways to save out of pure necessity. And yet the County board voted to spend another 10 million dollars.

“This is Nick Provenzano and I’m running for County board to send a message. I feel enough is enough, together, let’s draw a line in the sand, right here, right now, let’s start here in McHenry County and tell our politicians that enough is enough. – No longer will we tolerate tax and spend politicians who just don’t get it. It’s time to cut spending and reduce taxes.

“My opponent doesn’t get it, she voted for that 10 million dollars in additional spending. She also voted in favor of pay raises for all County Employees, when most of us are either getting laid off or getting pay CUTS.

“I need your help and your vote to get this done, please select a Republican ballot and vote for Nick Provenzano on February 2nd.

“To learn more about my history and efforts to fight higher taxes and reform county government go to my web site at nickpro2010.com that’s N I C K P R O 2010 dot com.”

Another robo-call from Irene Napier went to pro-lifers.

This was not an investigatory story.  (Hurry.  It won’t be free long.)

Nothing about how the county was looking for a place not near a residential neighborhood…on cheap land…without brick walls and ended up near a residential neighborhood on one of the busiest highways in McHenry County with brick walls.

After Blake Hobson gave Ken Koehler the credit for the new facility, someone named “OakLeaf” wrote the following:

OakLeaf wrote on January 25, 2010 12:44 p.m.

“I think the county could have found a much less expensive place. This is from mchenrycountyblog The folks running for re-election (or, in the case of one seeking to return to the board) who voted to impose the cat tax in order to help pay for new animal control shelter on Route 14 in Crystal Lake follow:

• Ken Koehler, County Board Chairman, Crystal Lake, District 2
• John Jung of Woodstock, District 5
• Tina Hill of Woodstock, District 5
• Anna May Miller of Cary, District 1
• Sandra Salgado of McHenry, District 4
• Barbara Wheeler of Crystal Lake, District 3″

Keely Cat doesn't have to hide from the McHenry County Cat Tax Collector anymore.

It was a coincidence that I wrote a story about the votes on the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax the same day the NW Herald did a two-year retrospective.

And, the Herald didn’t point out the role its approval played in the defeat of Woodstock Republican County Board member Perry Moy by Lake in the Hills Democrat Jim Kennedy.

There are certainly different roles played by the NW Herald and McHenry County Blog.

And, only McHenry County Blog features the best know cat in McHenry County:

The one, the only

Keely Cat

Keely Cat takes a dim view of those county board members who wanted to send out the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax Collector. (He also takes a dim view of people who wake him up to take his picture to illustrate a story like this.) Catkins still can't understand why they thought he couldn't take care of any rabid bat that might penetrate the Skinner household. The bugs he has hunted are no longer around and, if he could get out of the sun porch, he knows that chiprats would be no problem.

Now that the primary election is but a week away, I’m going to give you a chance to read my article on the McHenry County Board’s 2007 defeat of the Republican Cat Tax.

The folks running for re-election (or, in the case of one seeking to return to the board) who voted to impose the cat tax in order to help pay for new animal control shelter on Route 14 in Crystal Lake follow:

• Ken Koehler, County Board Chairman, Crystal Lake, District 2
• John Jung of Woodstock, District 5
• Tina Hill of Woodstock, District 5
• Anna May Miller of Cary, District 1
• Sandra Salgado of McHenry, District 4
• Barbara Wheeler of Crystal Lake, District 3

The original February 21, 2007, article follows. For some reason Google has removed the original photographs, even though I paid extra to keep the up.

11 Republicans, 1 Democrat Kill McHenry County Republican Cat Tax

If you ever think that your voice can’t make a difference in local government, think again!

Both opponents and proponents of the Republican Cat Tax mentioned they had been lobbied by their constituents.

And some of them used language (“Cat Tax Collector”) that made me know that McHenry County Blog readers had been spreading the word.

The McHenry County Board, stacked 23-1 in favor of the Republican Party, defeated the cat tax backed by County Chairman Ken Koehler (he called it a “fee”) and nine other GOP county board members.

The motion to eliminate the cat tax from the revision of the animal control ordinance passed 12-10 on a motion by Lyn Orphal, seconded by Mary Lou Zierer. Perhaps Republicans have been this split on a board vote before. I don’t follow it closely enough to know. It must be a rarity, however, for a county board chairman not to get his way.

The 11 Republicans voting to kill the Republican Cat Tax follow. (Those in bold face type are on the ballot.)

• Yvonne Barnes of Cary, a newcomer
• Sue Draffkorn of Wonder Lake
• Randy Donley of Union
• Ed Dvorak of Crystal Lake
• John Hammerand of Wonder Lake
• Mary McCann of Woodstock, just elected
• Lyn Orphal of Crystal Lake
• Nick Provenzano of McHenry
• Daniel Ryan of Huntley, just elected
• Dan Shea of Fox River Grove
• Mary Lou Zierer of Marengo

Newly elected Democratic Party member Jim Kennedy of Lake in the Hills joined this majority of voting Republicans (two were absent) to kill the cat tax.

Get down, Catkins. I’m writing a story.

Don’t worry, you’re safe now from the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax Collectors.

Relax.

I’ll scratch your chest and neck later.

Those voting in favor of the Cat Tax ordinance, which would require rabies inoculation, plus the fee (which even a supporter slipped and called a “cat tax”), couched their arguments primarily toward being fair to both dog and cat owners, plus getting ahead of the spread of cat rabies, which is in Pennsylvania.

Those voting in favor of imposing the Cat Tax Hike were all Republicans. Their names follow (those on the ballot shown in bold face type):

• Ken Koehler, County Board Chairman, Crystal Lake
• Marie Chmiel of Crystal Lake
• Mary Donner of Crystal Lake, just elected
• John Heisler of Crystal Lake
• Tina Hill of Woodstock
• John Jung of Woodstock
• Anna May Miller of Cary
• Virginia Peschke of Woodstock
• Sandra Salgado of McHenry
• Barbara Wheeler of Crystal Lake

= = = = =
Here, minus Chairman Ken Koehler, are those who attended the Cat Tax County Board meeting. (Click to enlarge.)

Koehler is pictured in profile on top, while Lyn Orphal, the Crystal Laker who made the motion to kill the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax is just below.

Keely cat is shown relaxing after the death of the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax Collector ordinance.

The message today really requires Smell-a-Blog.

Since that has not yet been invented, these pictures of a dead skunk about ten feet from our mailbox on Lake Avenue in Lakewood, Illinois, will have to do.

Last night after nine we had the kitchen window open and in came this powerful odor of skunk.

One night a couple of weeks ago the same thing happened. We figured a skunk had sprayed while walking between our house and the one next to us. The same thing happened one night when we had the bedroom windows open.

What a stink!

We took immediate action each time, closing all the windows in the house.

It’s now afternoon and I just figured out that there was a skunk on the road near our mailbox. My son told me that his sleepover friend’s father has mentioned it to him.

I called the McHenry County Animal Control folks and was told that the County Highway Department picked up the dead ones. I asked if the Highway Department did that even on non-county roads and the woman thought it did.

It doesn’t.

So, I called the Village of Lakewood and the street guys apparently draw the short straw.

Funny that no one had reported it before.

Calling the proposed Metra station purchase McHenry County Board Chairman “Ken Koehler’s boondoggle,” Craig Steagall took the Dave Letterman approach in a Northwest Herald ad yesterday. Steagall has property across the tracks that was under consideration by Metra for a Ridgefield Metra commuter station. The contents of an earlier ad appear here.

He says the deal is

Steagall throws out all sorts of nuggets including a company named “Lily Pond Stone L” having purchased land to the northwest which was the third site considered for $12,165 an acre. Lily Pond Road, of course, is the southern boundary of the site Woodstock zoned for a minor league baseball stadium. Both the price and the hint that the purchaser wants to mine gravel are interesting.

In addition, mention is made of the McHenry County Ethics Committee. I wonder what that is.

Here is the text,

1-It is on the wrong side of the tracks. Legal counsel says I am too wordy – this is concession to their counsel.

2-Take the time to find the right location!! Go northwest, so southwest, but go on the south side of the tracks. The City of Crystal Lake has held informational meeting touting the grand expansion of Highway 14 with a grass medium strip and expanding to 4 lanes between Crystal Lake and Woodstock. It is logical to tie a new Metra station into road infrastructure designed for the traffic volume associated with a 650 to 750 car Metra parking lot. It is not logical to buy property then study what needs to be done to make a pig’s ear work. Metra will destroy downtown Ridgefield and turn county roads into major traffic arteries that are ill-suited for handling Metra station traffic.

3-Metra, you have stated you have studied 3 locations. The third location, near Lily Pond Road recently sold for a price of $12,165 per acre. The Hana Family Ltd sold to Lily Pond Stone L, on April 9th, 2009. With land prices this low and continuing to drop, Metra’s opportunity to find a straight approach off of Highway 14 is excellent. Metra, perform more due diligence before you cave to the political pressure.

4-Save me, Craig Steagall, from this bold and reckless offer. Metra, if you are buying Ken Koehler’s property for appraised value and it is $12,165 per acre, I will purchase the property from Metra for $13,000 per acre. Metra makes $835 per acre and we save Metra, Ridgefield businesses and countless homeowners who will be negatively impacted from this illogical and dangerous (because of the roads) Ken Koehler boondoggle. The feedback I have received lumps the current situation into the typical Blagojevich style government that has made Illinois fodder on the Dave Letterman show.

5-Prudence and legal counsel dictated I omit Number 5. My apologies. However if I do run another ad, which I hope I don’t, I will share the sad saga of a developer who bought property across the street from Ken Koehler’s 84 Lumber sale. The delevoper’s property was also purchased from Ken Koehler. It is a woeful tale. Having just met with the developer who bought the adjacent property, I believe new information has come to light that calls for an investigation of the travesty committed in the construction of 84 Lumber, Country Club road construction issues and the subsequent flooding that occurs on the developer’s property.

6-Metra, this is a quagmire that will only get more legs if you purchase this property. It is tainted with Chicago-style politics and Blago stench. And the citizens of McHenry County know barnyard smells.

7-Save Metra spokesman Michael Gillis from himself. Michael Gillis stated to the Northwest Herald that road improvements would be decided by a traffic study. BUY PROPERTY AND THEN DO TRAFFIC STUDY. McDonald’s would not put a golden arch in a corn field and then perform a traffic study to determine how to get traffic to their site. Some rudimentary level of competence must be applied to a site location, oft times described as common sense. The only reason this site makes sense is that a politician wants to sell his property during an ugly economic period. If he doesn’t get it sold now, he may not be on the County Board when it will sell. Fixing the roads to make this pig’s ear work is a waste of taxpayers money and destroys much of what citizens find attractive about rural McHenry County. IT’S ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS.

8-The McHenry County Ethics Committee has not had a chance to review this land sale by the county board chairman. Give the committee a chance to weigh in before making a decision. This might require the time necessary for a committee chairperson to be appointed by the county board chairman – aka Ken Koehler and an actual ethics committee to be established by the county.

9-DEBATE – save me the potential embarrassment of mispronouncing words during a debate. I propose that we prevail upon the City of Crystal Lake for use of their auditorium and City Council chambers for the purpose of a TOWN HALL FORUM DEBATE. Ken Koehler/Craig Steagall/Metra spokesperson, moderated by Mayor Aaron Shepley. Let’s show government at its best – a rousing public debate on the pros and cons of the Metra station. Ken, fill in the blanks; METRA DEBATE – TOWN HALL MEETING
DATE______ TIME______ WHERE_______. (This debate may require renting a local school gymnasium, the outrage is building.)

10-IT’S WRONG – the Metra site selection has been compromised by a county board chairman with a litany of questionable self-serving actions during his term as county board chairman.

In very small type, the following appears below:

Thank you to all of the individuals who have shared their comments and support for putting a stop to this ill-suited Metra location. It is a sad commentary on our county government that the ads I have run highlighting this malfeasance were even necessary. The Metra site selection should have benefited from sunshine on the topic and not decided in back room political havens.

There are other elements of this story that should be aired, but I am growing weary of earning mileage points on my Northwest Herald ad purchases.

Updates will be posted on WWW.METRAQUESTIONS.COM in the future. Please type in full address and not simply Google metraquestions.

Want to post comments? Send comments to metraquestions@gmail.com.

Future Topics will include:

1. How a county official approached me years ago to build a cost effective McHenry County Animal Shelter on rural, cheap property that permitted steel construction.

2. The dismissal of Sue Ehardt as Department head for Planning and Development.

3. The discussion of why a wetland study is being undertaken by Metra and no wetland study was required for 84 Lumber.

4. More information on the road requirements for 84 Lumber and how a different standard may have been applied for expediency reasons.

5. Other Topics floating to the top of the septic tank of McHenry County politics.

6. A YouTube posting featuring a bike rider with a mini cam biking down Oak to Hillside to Country Club to the proposed Metra site. If Metra Board members have not taken the time to visit this third proposed Metra site, they can get a firsthand look at the destruction of rural roads and the danger of the rail crossing at Ridgefield and Country Club.

And finally, the Web site will soon feature an apology to Phil Pagano-Executive Director of Metra and Orest Chryniwsky, Senior Real Estate and Development Specialist Law Department. I regret they were thrown on the tracks. I believe both of these individuals are decent hard working civil servants who were working towards a land acquisition with the public’s best interest in mind. Political influences pushed them down a path that necessitated their falling in line and doing what benefited a politician rather than what was right for the Metra rider and the citizens of McHenry County. That pressure was not exerted by a singular Ken Koehler effort. Ken is powerful, but not that powerful he could swing this albatross without help.

*Note: To those readers who I have confused on the reference to Alden Road.
Explanation: The County has proposed expanding Alden Road-sometimes called Charles Road with 30 foot easements on each side of the road. The comparison I was making is if this road called for this type of expansion, then imagine what Country Club Road, Hillside, Oak Street look like after the County expands those roads with 30 foot easements. A forest of trees will be cut down, roads will be on residents front porch and the space available in downtown Ridgefield would require bulldozing of buildings to accommodate expanding the roads for proper width and easements.

= = = = =
The top photo is of the gravel mining just north of Lily Pond Road.

The map from Google shows about where the train station would be located on Country Club Road.

Next there is a photo of the Route 14 Crystal Lake McHenry County Animal Control Shelter.

The picture below is of the property in question. Metra plans to buy 17.5 acres.

Other articles that might be of interest:

Alexander Lumber’s Move to Ridgefield, Proposed Metra Station Implications

Musings on the Proposed Ridgefield Metra Station

Ridgefield Businessman Takes on McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler over Proposed Metra Station

Metra Transparency Worse than McHenry County College’s

Metra Scheduled to Approve Former Flowerwood Land for Station in Ridgefield This Morning

An inquiring friend of and researcher for McHenry County Blog has been comparing dog taxes among area counties.
Here’s what started this story:

“I noticed McHenry County’s dog tag fee scale chart at our vets office but I didn’t see Kane’s,” he wrote.

“Curious, I asked why Kane’s tag fee scale wasn’t on the desk.

‘Because it’s a flat fee.’

“It appears the surrounding counties charge a flat fee and senior citizens don’t have to pay tag fees in Kane and DuPage County. If dogs get their shots in McHenry County, the upfront tag fee is five times more if pet owners decide not to “fix and chip” them. You may know more about this but are stray dogs a problem in McHenry County? I thought you may find this to be an interesting local story.”

He found McHenry County’s quite different from those of Kane, DuPage and Cook Counties.

Kane County charges $10 a year for a rabies tag, $25 for three years. The web site says, “Senior citizens (65 and older) do not pay for original tags given with shot. There’s a $1 charge if you need a replacement tag.

DuPage County also charges $10 a year, but does not offer a break for a three-year tag. $4 for a replacement tag.

Cook County charges only $6 a year. (Don’t anyone tell Cook County Board President Todd Stroeger that his county is lower than the suburban ones.) $18 for a three-year tag.

All three are pretty straight forward.

By comparison, McHenry County’s fee structure looks like a PERT chart.

First, one must reveal whether one’s dog is spayed or neutered.

If it is, the next question is whether it is micro chipped or not.

If it is, the cost is $8 a year, $19 for three years–less than Kane or DuPage, but more than Cook.

If the dog is not micro chipped, the cost rises to $13 a year, $24 for three.

If the canine is not spayed or neutered, the cost really increases.

$35 if chipped, $40, if not. And the three-year costs increase to $70 and $75.

As you can see, the charges for senior citizens, defined as bring 62 or older, are significantly lower. That can’t be because a higher proportion of older folks vote, can it?

McHenry County is unique in having a higher fee for breeders. $20 a year, if chipped, $25, if not.

Maybe attempts to influence citizen behavior by differential taxation policy is common in local government, but this is the first time I have noticed it.

Doggy social engineering.

Who would have thought?

I might have noticed this before had I not been obsessed with the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax that was contained in the same ordinance.

An inquiring friend of and researcher for McHenry County Blog has been comparing dog taxes among area counties.
Here’s what started this story:

“I noticed McHenry County’s dog tag fee scale chart at our vets office but I didn’t see Kane’s,” he wrote.

“Curious, I asked why Kane’s tag fee scale wasn’t on the desk.

‘Because it’s a flat fee.’

“It appears the surrounding counties charge a flat fee and senior citizens don’t have to pay tag fees in Kane and DuPage County. If dogs get their shots in McHenry County, the upfront tag fee is five times more if pet owners decide not to “fix and chip” them. You may know more about this but are stray dogs a problem in McHenry County? I thought you may find this to be an interesting local story.”

He found McHenry County’s quite different from those of Kane, DuPage and Cook Counties.

Kane County charges $10 a year for a rabies tag, $25 for three years. The web site says, “Senior citizens (65 and older) do not pay for original tags given with shot. There’s a $1 charge if you need a replacement tag.

DuPage County also charges $10 a year, but does not offer a break for a three-year tag. $4 for a replacement tag.

Cook County charges only $6 a year. (Don’t anyone tell Cook County Board President Todd Stroeger that his county is lower than the suburban ones.) $18 for a three-year tag.

All three are pretty straight forward.

By comparison, McHenry County’s fee structure looks like a PERT chart.

First, one must reveal whether one’s dog is spayed or neutered.

If it is, the next question is whether it is micro chipped or not.

If it is, the cost is $8 a year, $19 for three years–less than Kane or DuPage, but more than Cook.

If the dog is not micro chipped, the cost rises to $13 a year, $24 for three.

If the canine is not spayed or neutered, the cost really increases.

$35 if chipped, $40, if not. And the three-year costs increase to $70 and $75.

As you can see, the charges for senior citizens, defined as bring 62 or older, are significantly lower. That can’t be because a higher proportion of older folks vote, can it?

McHenry County is unique in having a higher fee for breeders. $20 a year, if chipped, $25, if not.

Maybe attempts to influence citizen behavior by differential taxation policy is common in local government, but this is the first time I have noticed it.

Doggy social engineering.

Who would have thought?

I might have noticed this before had I not been obsessed with the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax that was contained in the same ordinance.

Taxpayers are always pointing at government miscues by and complaining about how it should be run like a business.

I certainly do not have business experience, but I’ve read enough to know one should try not to buy high and sell low.

That appears to be exactly what the McHenry County Board is doing concerning its animal control facilities.

While the advice is usually given with regard to the stock market, it is equally applicable to the real estate market. I’ve even heard radio ads telling me of seminars that will tell me how to profit in this real estate downturn.

So, what did the county board do with its new animal control facility on Route 14 across from Woodstock Street?

What is the county board about to do with the old facility, which is sitting near the residential growth tip of Woodstock?

Sell low.

In case no one on the county board noticed, we are in a housing recession. No way to get top dollar selling surplus property under such conditions.

Selling it publicly is certainly better than the no-bid disposal of the old county highway building where the Woodstock Jewel shopping center is now located.

A lot better.

But selling low certainly is not a good business practice.

= = = = =
The photo, of course, is of the new animal control facility on Route 14 in Crystal Lake. The map showing the old facility on Banfield Road is from Google Maps.

Taxpayers are always pointing at government miscues by and complaining about how it should be run like a business.

I certainly do not have business experience, but I’ve read enough to know one should try not to buy high and sell low.

That appears to be exactly what the McHenry County Board is doing concerning its animal control facilities.

While the advice is usually given with regard to the stock market, it is equally applicable to the real estate market. I’ve even heard radio ads telling me of seminars that will tell me how to profit in this real estate downturn.

So, what did the county board do with its new animal control facility on Route 14 across from Woodstock Street?

What is the county board about to do with the old facility, which is sitting near the residential growth tip of Woodstock?

Sell low.

In case no one on the county board noticed, we are in a housing recession. No way to get top dollar selling surplus property under such conditions.

Selling it publicly is certainly better than the no-bid disposal of the old county highway building where the Woodstock Jewel shopping center is now located.

A lot better.

But selling low certainly is not a good business practice.

= = = = =
The photo, of course, is of the new animal control facility on Route 14 in Crystal Lake. The map showing the old facility on Banfield Road is from Google Maps.

After I made my “let’s keep dog poop from the McHenry County animal control facility out of the watershed aquifer” presentation before the Crystal Lake City Council Tuesday night, Crystal Lake Director of Engineering & Building Vic Ramirez caught me in the hall during the break and asked a good question.

What about the poop from cows and horses in the watershed?

Shouldn’t I be concerned about that, too?

I told him I was open to having my poop concerns broadened.

I remembered the cows near the high power lines on Ridgefield Roads, but the only horses I knew about were those Dr. Dan Strelcheck’s wife Barbara had talked about earlier that night. Mrs. Strelcheck told how water was not flowing downstream from their horse farm, which is on the east side of the railroad tracks. People were complimenting her on her pond, which had previously been a meadow.

While on Ridgefield Road in the watershed Wednesday night, I saw the cows. Cows mean cow pies.

And, down the road a bit, I saw a horse racing track on the western side of the railroad tracks.

So, it appears that Ramirez has targeted a legitimate concern.

The only difference I can see is that the county’s dog poop probably would go directly into a storm sewer, which would drain into Cove Pond, while the poop from the cows and horses would be filtered by the watershed.