McHenry County Blog

Spring Grove at the McHenry County Council of Governments Awards Banquet:

Awards will be presented at tonight to local governmental officials in Spring Grove.

from the Spring Grove Police Department:

A report of a possible child abduction occurred in unincorporated Spring Grove.

School and transportation personnel have been notified.

An incident in unincorporated Spring Grove (Lotus Woods Subdivision) reportedly took place recently that is worth reporting to you.

A male, driving a black work van and wearing a black ski mask, approached a 12 year old male after being dropped off at his school bus stop. The offender pulled alongside the child and asked for directions, offered to give the boy a ride home, and indicated he knew the boy’s mother. When the boy declined the ride, the driver sped off.

Although the intentions of the man are unknown, this situation is a reminder for us to reinforce to our children the importance of good safety tips when approached by strangers. Please continue to remind your child to never approach a strange vehicle or an unfamiliar individual regardless of what the person may say, and to notify an adult immediately when this type of situation occurs.

Please report any suspicious incidents to your local police department. School and transportation department personnel have been informed.

Richmond Police Department: 815-678-2351
Spring Grove Police Department: 815-675-2596

If you’s like to talk about energy, State Senator Pam Althoff and CUB, the Citizens Utility Board, have scheduled a meeting at the Spring Grove Village Hall at 7 PM on Wednesday, August 22nd.

You can see more details below:

State Senator Pam Althoff and the Citizens Utility Board will hold a forum on energy on Wednesday in Spring Grove.

A press release from State Senator Pam Althoff:

Althoff to host energy bill clinics in Spring Grove, McHenry

The Citizens Utility Board logo.

McHENRY – State Senator Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry) will be hosting two upcoming energy bill clinics with the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) in August.

The first will be held on Wednesday, August 22 at 7 pm in the Village of Spring Grove Council Chambers at 7401 Meyer Road.

The second will be held on Tuesday, August 28 at 7 pm in the Village of McHenry Council Chambers located at 333 South Green Street.

The forums are aimed at helping local residents learn how to save money on their energy bills, and will outline various energy options available to consumers.

Free refreshments and brochures will be provided.

The CUB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that represents the interests of Illinois consumers. Numerous CUB staff members will be on hand at the forum to answer questions and assist individuals interested in reducing their energy bills.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a recent energy bill with them to help staff identify potential savings.

For more information about the seminar please contact Senator Althoff’s office at 815-455-6330.

Spring Grove is the latest McHenry County municipality to share its Police Pension funding information.

For the most current year, the level is 49%–about ten percent higher than that of the State of Illinois.

The fund is $1.6 million underfunded.

Here’s a post card mailed to Fox River Grove Fire Protection District President Michael Kunz at the fire station address.

On night last week, I shot off 20-30 Freedom of Information requests for emails from announced McHenry County Sheriff candidate Andy Zinke.

I’ve gotten a lot of replies.

Today I received my first rejection.

It was from the Village of Spring Grove, the town that just approved video slot machines in its taverns.

Needless to say, I appealed the denial to the Public Access Counselor of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

One has to wonder why a village would deny a document which is in its possession.

The folks I can see who will win here are the lawyers who answer the reasons why the denial was make.

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I have been informed by a village official that Ancel, Glink, Diamond, Bush, DiCianni and Krafthefer represent the village.

Some notes from a friend of McHenry County Blog about the Spring Grove’s Village Board’s approval of what supporters call “Video Poker,” but what will really put slot machines at any restaurant or tavern with a liquor license:

Tonight, Spring Grove Village Trustees Bob McMahon, Del Houghton, Mike Lee and Village President Mark Eisenberg all voted in favor of “approval of an ordinance amending certain sections of the Village Code to authorize video gaming” and “approval of an ordinance amending Chapter 26, Section 2606 of the Village Code to prohibit video gaming”.

Video slot machine in Crystal Lake.

Trustees Del Houghton, Bob McMahon, Mike Lee and Mark Eisenberg’s arguments were that

• they “didn’t think government should control what people did”
• “there were only a few games”
• “they could be taken out if things didn’t work out”.

Eisenberg said that “village residents were against the new Jewel food store going up too” but that it had turned out to be a good form of revenue.

Eisenberg also stated that we already have people gambling in the Spring Grove businesses on these machines.

Trustee Jim Anhalt stated that if they are, then it is illegal and we should be enforcing the law.

When pressed as to where these machines were, Eisenberg said that didn’t know.

Trustees Jim Anhalt, Pat Mazzanti and Ron Kopke voted against amending the ordinances.

10 of 12 village residents in attendance stood up and spoke adamantly against bringing video poker into the Village of Spring Grove, 2 had other business to discuss.

Trustee Jim Anhalt was very outspoken in his opposition and presented extensive research on the dangers and addiction of video poker and noted that several other towns that had chosen not to introduce it, specifically that Crystal Lake stood to make a lot more money than we did but still voted against it.

Other points Anhalt made were of the limited revenue it would bring the village while increasing a need for police. Anhalt ‘s logic was to “wait and see what happened in Fox Lake” after they installed the poker machines before rushing to make a decision for Spring Grove.

Mike Lee said that he was against government telling people what to do.

Anhalt ( a former police officer) stated that government protect people from themselves all the time (i.e. seat belts, speed limits, no more than 5 poker machines in one establishment, etc.).

There are only 3 establishments in Spring Grove that would be allowed to have video poker machines.

Anhalt told the board that they were “supposed to be representing the entire village, not just 3 businesses.”

Del Houghton verbally attacked Jim Anhalt for “rolling people out” to speak out against the issue.

Anhalt ‘s response was,

“Don’t you think the people have a right to know what’s going on and what we’re voting on here tonight?”

Resident Ron Erdmann asked why we were supporting the corrupt stat of Illinois.

“30%” off the top goes to state.

We get 1/6 of the 30%.

What’s left is divided 50/50 between the business and and the company that owns the machines.

“We stand to gain little.”

I found the following information on the Chicago Tribune’s Real Estate page on the internet.

It has an interative map of McHenry County (and all other parts of the six-county Chicago metropolitan area) that tells what has happened to real estate values in municipalies with enough sales from which to pull statistics.

Changes in home prices in McHenry County over the last five years (2007-2012). Only Lakewood homes increase in value.

Code for the map above.

In McHenry County, I was surprised that homes in my village of Lakewood (a suburb of Crystal Lake) have held their value better than anywhere else.

• Lakewood: +17.65% with current median value at $353,250. (Our home is a bit below average.)
• Crystal Lake: -32.98% with median value at $157,500
• Huntley: -39.59%, median at $193,000
• Lake in the Hill: -34.08%, median at $147,000
• Algonquin: -25%, median at $147,000
• Cary: -39.77%, median at $156,000
• Fox River Grove: -42.609%, median at $154,750
• Oakwood Hills: -18&%, median at $164,000
• Island Lake: -30.06, median at $114,000
• Holiday Hills: -100%, but median given at $0, so obviously there is a glitch in the data
• Woodstock: -42.14$, median at $136,000
• McHenry: -31%, median $138,000
• Lakemoor: -29.37%, median $117,250
• Johnsburg: -48.38, median $175,000
• Wonder Lake: -27.13%, median $119,500
• Ringwood: -19,2%, median $201,000
• Richmond: -36.45%, median $197,000
• Spring Grove: -33.52, median $232,500
• Marengo: -42.65%, median $117,000
• Union: -1.59%, median $310,000 (something seems a bit wonky with the median average number)
• Harvard: -50.5%, median $99,000
• Hebron: -31.03%, median $130,000

Other communities have no information.

The delivery charge pays for the infrastructure. Here is a major failure next to Crystal Lake's Best Buy on Main Street south of Route 14.

What I thought was going to be the most uncontroversial item on the ballot wasn’t.

Having put together the bulk buying of natural gas for state government facilities across Illinois while working for the Department of Central Management Services, it seems to be that the bulk buying of electricity is a pretty straight forward proposition.

Unless you don’t trust your local government, what’s to object to?

Especially, since you can opt out of the program if you think Com Ed’s price will be better or you’d rather shop around for yourself.

I figure let someone who has more expertise do the shopping, so I voted, “Yes.”

I had gotten some emails opposed to it.One had two objections, one of which didn’t seem to make any sense to me.

The complaint was made that municipal officials would not be allowed to negotiate the delivery price.

That is completely correct and that is because the local delivery cost is set by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

I figure the person who sent the email just didn’t know that was the situation.In any event that objection was not a legitimate reason to vote “No.”

It might, however, be a reason to vote against legislators who voted to allow Com Ed to raise electricity delivery rates.  (See Senate roll call, which passed by only one vote.  See House roll call.)

The second objection was that it would force peak pricing.  I asked my Lakewood Village Administrator, but did not get an answer.

So, if you voted against the referendum in your area (unincorporated or municipality), please tell readers where you live and why you voted “No.”

Results of McHenry County electric aggregation referendums follow:

Wonder Lake voted overwhelmingly against the proposal as 68% vote No. Why?

Folks in rural McHenry County voted against overwhelmingly against their referendum, 62% to 38%. Was it because they do not trust the County Board?

The City of McHenry's voters cast a 57-43 No vote. Why?

Lake in the Hills voted No as well, by a margin of 54-46. Again, if you are from Lake in the Hills and voted on the prevailing side, tell us why.

Johnsburg is another McHenry Township village where voters turned thumbs down 53-47. Tell us why, Johnsburg readers?

Marengo residents didn't like the idea either. The vote was close, losing by only 8 votes.

McCullom Lake next to McHenry also voted against the bulk buying proposal, but just barely. It only lost by one vote. Why?

Algonquin is in two counties, McHenry and Kane. It passed by a little bit on the McHenry County side, but failed by more on the Kane County side. The result was as 1,557-1,576 vote, with early and absentee ballot still not folded in, for a 50.3% “Yes” vote and 49.7% “No.”

While Lake in the Hills defeated their electric aggregation referendum, voters in the next door Village of Algonquin vote approval by 34 votes.

While the referendum passed in the McHenry County portion of Algonquin, it failed in Kane County. Click to enlarge.

Spring Grove's citizens voted down the referendum by 4 votes. If you are a "No" voter, please share your reason.

Now let’s look at those municipalities where people approved their referendums.

Woodstock citizens barely passed their referendum with only 27 votes to spare.

In Prairie Grove villagers voted 53-47 to allow bulk buying.

Cary voters cast 54% of their votes in favor.

54% of Crystal Lake ballots would favorable.

Huntley also straddles the Kane-McHenry County line. Unlike Algonquin, however, residents on both side voted for the referendum. There were 3,731 in favor and 2,870 against, when the figures were added together.  56.5% voted in favor.

By a healthy 59-41%, Huntley voters approved their electric aggregation referendum.

On the Kane County side of Huntley, the referendum passed 61-33.

The small Village of Ringwood passed the idea by 62% to 38%.

Lakewood voted overwhelmingly in favor of its referendum, 63-37.

I skipped Barrington Hills and Island Lake.

Earlier this weekend, I ran an article about how McHenry County Democrats had been encouraged to go to Wisconsin to work on the Recall Scott Walker effort.

Looking at the crowd in Wauwatosa Saturday. The sign you attempts to frame the recall campaign. It crosses out "Union Privileges" and touts"Taxpayer Rights."

Saturday Lori Lee White and her husband went to a Wisconsin rally for the retention of Governor Scott Walker in office. They live in the border town of Spring Grove in the most northeastern township in McHenry County and have a business in Wisconsin.

A man wearing the cheese head hat that a Wisconsin company produced in reaction to Illinos residents' mocking reference to our neighbors to the north has a bumper sticker that says, "Stand with Walker."

When I learned where they had gone form a Friend of McHenry County Blog, I asked if she would convey some a message that I would appreciate some photos of the event.

A view of the crowd in Wawautosa.

White, who is running for Republican Precinct Committeeman in Burton Township’s 3rd precinct (the only one running in any of the three precincts), did better than send photos. She wrote why they traveled above the state line to support Governor Walker in Wauwatosa.

Another view of the crowd supporting Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

An Associated Press said “hundreds rally.” Fox News in Green Bay, also citing the AP, reported “over thousand.”

Take a look at the photo in the Milwaukee Journal (whose cut line says “a couple thousand”) or the ones White took and judge for yourself.

Below is what White wrote:

Lori Lee White

The reason my husband and I attended the rally for Governor Walker, is that we are business owners in Wisconsin.

We see the positive changes Governor Walker has made in only one year of being Governor. In just one election, Wisconsin turned over a majority of elected seats to Republicans.

I am intrigued as to how a state can turn over and win majority, a majority the state hasn’t held in 50 years.

The positive changes Governor Walker has done in one year,

• balanced their state budget,
• Wisconsin property owners have a permanent property tax freeze,
• they have voter ID law,
• conceal carry (2nd amendment), and
• Governor Walker just passed the “Castle Doctrine”.

Not only did Wisconsin balance their budget, they turned a deficit into a surplus.

In just one year.

What is not to celebrate if you are from Wisconsin?

The unions and the Democrats are not happy that the balanced budget gave the union employees choices.

Freedoms as to whether or not they want to even be part of a union.

Freedoms and choices in their healthcare providers.

The sign you can read relates to teacher health insurance premiums and pension payments. "We don't think having to pay for 12% of your own health care and 5% of your own pension is too much to ask." On the left hand side, it says, "Scott Walker, The Taxpayers HERO! We pay for our own health care. Why should we have to pay for 100% of yours?"

The unions are fighting to keep their money flow from the taxpayers.

That is why they are recalling Governor Walker.

Governor Walker is standing up for the taxpayers and our grandchildren’s generation.

The canine did not boast a "Dogs for Walker" sign. This was about when the crowd peaked.

The rally was a thank you to Governor Walker for doing what is right and protecting the taxpayers.

That was the theme of the speeches that we heard, from

• Rebecca Kleefisch-(Lt.Governor),
• Tommy Thompson-(WI Senate Candidate & previous Gov.),
• Tonette Walker (Governor Walker’s wife),
• Jeff Fitzgerald(Wi Assembly Speaker),
• several young Republicans,
• a 16 yr old varsity football player, and
• a Marquette University young Repbublican leader.

So, many more were lined up to speak. To thank Governor Walker!!!!

Many of the speeches compared the unions and the Democrats to Illinois.

They compare themselves to what Illinois is like.

Wisconsin just got a credit upgrade, Illinois is downgraded. I

Illinois raised their taxes and still can’t balance a budget, Wisconsin balances their budget and turns a deficit into a surplus.

We, Illinois residents, are a laughing stock to Wisconsinites.

They are doing the right thing, they are supporting their Governor who works for them, gives the Wisconsin residents a voice.

We in Illinois do not have a voice.

Our representatives don’t work for us, they don’t listen to us.

They should have been at the rally to see how to get their job done.

It was an awesome, AWESOME, inspiring day!!!!!

Those who wish to assist Governor Walker could do so now, by volunteering for the recall signature verification project.

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Another Friend of McHenry County Blog took photos at last February’s rally and counter rally around the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.  That was the time period when the Wisconsin Demcoratic Party Senators were hiding in Harvard and Woodstock.