Tutty is sorry for the lack of posts lately, Tutty has not had time and has been away from the happenings of Stephenson County.
Tutty hopes to get this thing going again sometime in the future
Until then, Tutty stands behind every post on this blog and still believes that Mill Race Crossing will never amount to anything more than a Big Blumdoggle.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
George "Home Rule" Gaulrapp
Although it hasn't been covered much, surprise, surprise, in Freeport media. Tutty started getting e-mails on Tuesday regarding the proposed $2,838,886 City of Freeport property tax levy. This represents a 10.7% increase over last years levy of $2,563,400.
In years past the City's Finance Director Craig Joesten would always state that the amount of the increase was "below the tax cap." Check out City Council meeting minutes from October 6, 2008 where Joesten was talking about last year's increase, the meeting minutes state it like this,
"The overall increase for the proposed tax levy is $76,266 or 3.07%. This amount falls below the tax cap."
Isn't it amazing how the Gaulrapp administration, when they follow the guidelines of the Illinois Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, also know as PTELL or more informally tax caps, they want to announce it to the world.
However, now that this year the Gaulrapp administration wants the Freeport City Council to use home rule to get around the tax caps law (Freeport, unlike every other taxing body wholly contained in Stephenson County is a home rule unit of Illinois government and not bound by the tax cap law).
Because Stephenson County voters approved PTELL by referendum all taxing bodies wholly contained in Stephenson County can only raise their tax levies by 5% or the national Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. Therefore the most any other taxing body wholly contained in Stephenson County can raise there levy is 5%, in recent years it's been significantly lower than that due to a down CPI.
Highland Community College and other taxing bodies that overlap into counties where PTELL was not approved by voters are not bound by tax caps. Stephenson and Jo Daviess County voters approved tax caps, voters in Ogle and Carroll Counties did not. If voters in the later two counties would approve PTELL, HCC would then be bound by the law. However, Tutty digresses.
The point of this post is to highlight how willing Mayor George Gaulrapp is to reach into his bag of home rule tricks to make sure it's business as usual at Freeport City Hall. Apparently the home rule sales tax Mayor Gaulrapp broke a tie vote on this past summer isn't providing a enough revenue quick enough for a mayor that seems to have big holes in his pockets. If the mayor was as inclusive as he claims, he would be holding referendums to see what his constituents really want.
This is one reason George Gaulrapp will never be a Congressman, he would find it impossible to govern without home rule, he'd have to follow the same rules as everyone else, not something he is very used to doing, thanks to Illinois home rule and all of it's unregulated authority.
You might want to call or write your alderman and ask them to vote to send this levy back to the Gaulrapp administration, if they're even aware of what's really going on here.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
In years past the City's Finance Director Craig Joesten would always state that the amount of the increase was "below the tax cap." Check out City Council meeting minutes from October 6, 2008 where Joesten was talking about last year's increase, the meeting minutes state it like this,
"The overall increase for the proposed tax levy is $76,266 or 3.07%. This amount falls below the tax cap."
Isn't it amazing how the Gaulrapp administration, when they follow the guidelines of the Illinois Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, also know as PTELL or more informally tax caps, they want to announce it to the world.
However, now that this year the Gaulrapp administration wants the Freeport City Council to use home rule to get around the tax caps law (Freeport, unlike every other taxing body wholly contained in Stephenson County is a home rule unit of Illinois government and not bound by the tax cap law).
Because Stephenson County voters approved PTELL by referendum all taxing bodies wholly contained in Stephenson County can only raise their tax levies by 5% or the national Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. Therefore the most any other taxing body wholly contained in Stephenson County can raise there levy is 5%, in recent years it's been significantly lower than that due to a down CPI.
Highland Community College and other taxing bodies that overlap into counties where PTELL was not approved by voters are not bound by tax caps. Stephenson and Jo Daviess County voters approved tax caps, voters in Ogle and Carroll Counties did not. If voters in the later two counties would approve PTELL, HCC would then be bound by the law. However, Tutty digresses.
The point of this post is to highlight how willing Mayor George Gaulrapp is to reach into his bag of home rule tricks to make sure it's business as usual at Freeport City Hall. Apparently the home rule sales tax Mayor Gaulrapp broke a tie vote on this past summer isn't providing a enough revenue quick enough for a mayor that seems to have big holes in his pockets. If the mayor was as inclusive as he claims, he would be holding referendums to see what his constituents really want.
This is one reason George Gaulrapp will never be a Congressman, he would find it impossible to govern without home rule, he'd have to follow the same rules as everyone else, not something he is very used to doing, thanks to Illinois home rule and all of it's unregulated authority.
You might want to call or write your alderman and ask them to vote to send this levy back to the Gaulrapp administration, if they're even aware of what's really going on here.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
A Commercialized Editorial?
I am sure that most readers of this blog, Freeport's leading blog, noticed the editorial in Thursday's edition of the Journal-Standard, the editorial urged the Stephenson County Board to continue to make the "wise investment" of $100,000 to the Northwest Illinois Development Alliance.
The editorial also said this: "Mill Race is a reality and developing its potential — whatever your view of that potential — is absolutely necessary to the continued fiscal health of Stephenson County and its taxpayers."
Where and what is the "potential" of Mill Race Crossing editors and publisher of the Journal-Standard? You have a newspaper, you should be able to address this issue. What's the chance of Freeport and Stephenson County not only being able to afford to construct the additional water and sewer infrastructure but to maintain it after it's constructed. It costs much more to maintain such a system than it does to construct, who will pay for this and how will they pay for this?
Until these questions are authoritatively addressed there is absolutely no potential for the Big Blumdoggle known as Mill Race Crossing.
A bigger question though is if this was actually an editorial or an advertisement for NIDA. You see, Stephen Trosley, publisher of the Journal-Standard is one of the 39 members that make up NIDA. Is Trosley using his newspaper to support his own personal interests? It sure would look a whole lot better if this fact would have been disclosed up front but it wasn't.
So Journal-Standard was this a paid for editorial?
NIDA has a long history of using public money to enrich its members. Just look, so far members of NIDA have been among the select few to make any money from Mill Race Crossing (at the expense of the public).
Rob LeSage, an attorney from Sterling, Illinois is a member of NIDA and was also paid to represent the Stephenson County Board in creating the Big Blumdoggle known as Mill Race Crossing.
Adam Holder, is a partner in Fehr-Graham. Adam Holder's company has been paid plenty of public money doing the civil engineering for the Big Blumdoggle.
There are other examples but you get the point.
So while it is an obvious fact that NIDA likes to use public money to steer business (money) the way of its membership is this what happened in this case? Was the Journal-Standard editorial staff paid to produce a commercial disguised as an editorial?
And even if they were not, the fact that the publisher's relationship to the subject matter was not disclosed shows a gaping lack of journalistic ethics. Call the newspaper on it please.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker, tutty.baker@gmail.com
The editorial also said this: "Mill Race is a reality and developing its potential — whatever your view of that potential — is absolutely necessary to the continued fiscal health of Stephenson County and its taxpayers."
Where and what is the "potential" of Mill Race Crossing editors and publisher of the Journal-Standard? You have a newspaper, you should be able to address this issue. What's the chance of Freeport and Stephenson County not only being able to afford to construct the additional water and sewer infrastructure but to maintain it after it's constructed. It costs much more to maintain such a system than it does to construct, who will pay for this and how will they pay for this?
Until these questions are authoritatively addressed there is absolutely no potential for the Big Blumdoggle known as Mill Race Crossing.
A bigger question though is if this was actually an editorial or an advertisement for NIDA. You see, Stephen Trosley, publisher of the Journal-Standard is one of the 39 members that make up NIDA. Is Trosley using his newspaper to support his own personal interests? It sure would look a whole lot better if this fact would have been disclosed up front but it wasn't.
So Journal-Standard was this a paid for editorial?
NIDA has a long history of using public money to enrich its members. Just look, so far members of NIDA have been among the select few to make any money from Mill Race Crossing (at the expense of the public).
Rob LeSage, an attorney from Sterling, Illinois is a member of NIDA and was also paid to represent the Stephenson County Board in creating the Big Blumdoggle known as Mill Race Crossing.
Adam Holder, is a partner in Fehr-Graham. Adam Holder's company has been paid plenty of public money doing the civil engineering for the Big Blumdoggle.
There are other examples but you get the point.
So while it is an obvious fact that NIDA likes to use public money to steer business (money) the way of its membership is this what happened in this case? Was the Journal-Standard editorial staff paid to produce a commercial disguised as an editorial?
And even if they were not, the fact that the publisher's relationship to the subject matter was not disclosed shows a gaping lack of journalistic ethics. Call the newspaper on it please.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker, tutty.baker@gmail.com
A Time To Be Real Grateful...
Although Tutty has not followed the issue closely Tutty applauds the Public Works Committee of the Stephenson County Board for attempting to hold the line on the salary paid to Stephenson County engineer Chris Isbell.
Isbell is paid more than $100,000 annually plus perks. Clearly, with more and more qualified engineers looking for work, he could easily be replaced without much work.
There is no reason for the Sheriff and his deputies as well as other county employees to be getting their sustenance from oatmeal and water while Chris Isbell eats steaks and drinks champagne...is there?
Tutty urges the Public Works Committee to stand firm on the County Engineer's pay and for the full Stephenson County Board to follow suit.
It's a time for Chris Isbell to real grateful that there is an entity even willing to employ him, there are many, many qualified people looking for work at the present time. If Chris Isbell can do better than Stephenson County...have at it...or will Stephenson County have to close its doors if he leaves? Hardly.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
Isbell is paid more than $100,000 annually plus perks. Clearly, with more and more qualified engineers looking for work, he could easily be replaced without much work.
There is no reason for the Sheriff and his deputies as well as other county employees to be getting their sustenance from oatmeal and water while Chris Isbell eats steaks and drinks champagne...is there?
Tutty urges the Public Works Committee to stand firm on the County Engineer's pay and for the full Stephenson County Board to follow suit.
It's a time for Chris Isbell to real grateful that there is an entity even willing to employ him, there are many, many qualified people looking for work at the present time. If Chris Isbell can do better than Stephenson County...have at it...or will Stephenson County have to close its doors if he leaves? Hardly.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Congressman Gaulrapp? Not a Chance
With this morning's Journal-Standard came the news that Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp will be challenging long time incumbent, Don Manzullo, for Representative of the 16th Congressional District of Illinois of the United States House of Representatives.
Although the article did not say, it is assumed that Gaulrapp will run as a Democrat after serving as an alternate Delegate for then presidential candidate Barrack Obama.
And while Don Manzullo often behaves much more like a Democrat (doling out monetary favors because he can) George Gaulrapp will not pose much of a challenge to Don Manzullo.
Both men have been blind supporters of the Big Blumdoggle known as Mill Race Crossing.
Both men stood in a cornfield three years ago this month and called Rockford television cameras over for the "groundbreaking" of the Mill Race Industrial Park. Both Manzullo and Gaulrapp have stood behind the creation of Mill Race Crossing despite the fact that we can't give the land out there away and there is absolutely no way for the taxpayers of Stephenson County to afford to put infrastructure (water, sew, roads, etc.) to the site.
This blog, Freeport's leading blog, has repeatedly questioned both men on how they can continue to support this Big Blumdoggle. Both men continue to ignore the facts that Mill Race has created nothing but public debt and the destruction of prime Illinois farmland. Both men now can claim ownership of this legacy, they have earned it.
Manzullo is deeply entrenched and Gaulrapp offers absolutely nothing different as far as political philosophy. What has George Gaulrapp actually done for Freeport? He never balanced a single budget on existing revenue. As soon as budget would come in short, he would pull the home rule wild card and raise taxes. George Gaulrapp has broken a tie vote regarding using home rule to raise the City of Freeport's sales taxes three different times. All three times, Gaulrapp voted to raise the sales tax.
If George Gaulrapp is so willing to use home rule to get around referendum requirements for new sales taxes and new public debt-the Gaulrapp administration has used home rule to borrow millions of dollars all the while denying the citizens of Freeport and chance, through a referendum, to put the debt down. If Gaulrapp is so willing to bypass the citizens of Freeport on tax and spend issues, how inclusive will he be as a Congressman?
The statements made above can be supported with dates and documents by e-mailing Tutty.
While there will be much more on this issue in the future. George Gaulrapp will lose and he will lose big, at least that's Tutty's forecast as things stand right now Tutty may change his mind in the future but that's doubtful.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
Although the article did not say, it is assumed that Gaulrapp will run as a Democrat after serving as an alternate Delegate for then presidential candidate Barrack Obama.
And while Don Manzullo often behaves much more like a Democrat (doling out monetary favors because he can) George Gaulrapp will not pose much of a challenge to Don Manzullo.
Both men have been blind supporters of the Big Blumdoggle known as Mill Race Crossing.
Both men stood in a cornfield three years ago this month and called Rockford television cameras over for the "groundbreaking" of the Mill Race Industrial Park. Both Manzullo and Gaulrapp have stood behind the creation of Mill Race Crossing despite the fact that we can't give the land out there away and there is absolutely no way for the taxpayers of Stephenson County to afford to put infrastructure (water, sew, roads, etc.) to the site.
This blog, Freeport's leading blog, has repeatedly questioned both men on how they can continue to support this Big Blumdoggle. Both men continue to ignore the facts that Mill Race has created nothing but public debt and the destruction of prime Illinois farmland. Both men now can claim ownership of this legacy, they have earned it.
Manzullo is deeply entrenched and Gaulrapp offers absolutely nothing different as far as political philosophy. What has George Gaulrapp actually done for Freeport? He never balanced a single budget on existing revenue. As soon as budget would come in short, he would pull the home rule wild card and raise taxes. George Gaulrapp has broken a tie vote regarding using home rule to raise the City of Freeport's sales taxes three different times. All three times, Gaulrapp voted to raise the sales tax.
If George Gaulrapp is so willing to use home rule to get around referendum requirements for new sales taxes and new public debt-the Gaulrapp administration has used home rule to borrow millions of dollars all the while denying the citizens of Freeport and chance, through a referendum, to put the debt down. If Gaulrapp is so willing to bypass the citizens of Freeport on tax and spend issues, how inclusive will he be as a Congressman?
The statements made above can be supported with dates and documents by e-mailing Tutty.
While there will be much more on this issue in the future. George Gaulrapp will lose and he will lose big, at least that's Tutty's forecast as things stand right now Tutty may change his mind in the future but that's doubtful.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Former Freeport Official Checks In
Tutty received the following e-mail earlier today and wanted to share it with readers.
Tutty will give it some thought and address the issues the e-mail raises in the future.
Tutty,
Every so often I succumb to vanity and Google my name and noticed I had been mentioned a while back as a de facto city manager in the Weis years... Hmmm... That's not how I remember it, as my recollection was more responsibility than authority, and a whole lot less salary.
But that's not why I write.
In stumbling across your blog, it was a refreshing point of view. Intelligent, insightful. Don't much care for the quasi-anonymity, but you appear to be having some fun with it and raising some issues. Why not come out of the closet?
I wonder if I would have started the iNK had blogs been available then?
I haven't lived in Freeport since the industrial base got decimated, but just for fun... what is the City of Freeport's property tax rate compared to Rockford and some other representative cities? If the City of Freeport was NOT home rule, what would be the maximum property tax rate they could extend without referendum and how does that compare to what they actually do extend? I know with home rule they could do unlimited property taxes, but at least through the 90's, the nuisance home rule taxes were in lieu of higher property taxes. From your blog, it appears the city is quite a bit more aggressive in taxation, whether borne of necessity or laziness I can't tell and don't have an opinion.
Eric Gubelman
Robinson, IL
Thanks for writing to the Blumdoggle Eric and thanks for allowing Tutty to post your comments.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
Tutty will give it some thought and address the issues the e-mail raises in the future.
Tutty,
Every so often I succumb to vanity and Google my name and noticed I had been mentioned a while back as a de facto city manager in the Weis years... Hmmm... That's not how I remember it, as my recollection was more responsibility than authority, and a whole lot less salary.
But that's not why I write.
In stumbling across your blog, it was a refreshing point of view. Intelligent, insightful. Don't much care for the quasi-anonymity, but you appear to be having some fun with it and raising some issues. Why not come out of the closet?
I wonder if I would have started the iNK had blogs been available then?
I haven't lived in Freeport since the industrial base got decimated, but just for fun... what is the City of Freeport's property tax rate compared to Rockford and some other representative cities? If the City of Freeport was NOT home rule, what would be the maximum property tax rate they could extend without referendum and how does that compare to what they actually do extend? I know with home rule they could do unlimited property taxes, but at least through the 90's, the nuisance home rule taxes were in lieu of higher property taxes. From your blog, it appears the city is quite a bit more aggressive in taxation, whether borne of necessity or laziness I can't tell and don't have an opinion.
Eric Gubelman
Robinson, IL
Thanks for writing to the Blumdoggle Eric and thanks for allowing Tutty to post your comments.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker tutty.baker@gmail.com
Freeport Park District's Astronomical Wealth
As promised, this is another post regarding the Freeport Park District.
As reported on this blog, Freeport's leading blog, and thus far ignored by the Journal-Standard, Freeport's daily newspaper, the Freeport Park District is planning on issuing more than $900,000 in public debt to be paid back with future taxes.
The Journal-Standard ran the legal notice on Monday Sept. 28, 2009 but has yet to report on why the Park District needs to borrow $900,000 when they are by far the richest taxing body in Stephenson County.
Tutty wants readers of this blog (and Journal-Standard editors and writers) to go back and review the Freeport Park District's Treasurer's Report for the latest fiscal year. It was published on the back page of the Journal-Standard on October 2 and is as outrageous as it is interesting. If you've disposed of that edition of the newspaper, it will be worth your $.75 to go buy another copy. The Park District Treasurer's Report is that crazy, you'll have to see it to believe it.
For instance, in the past fiscal year the Park District expended well over $9 million. That's right, $9 million. If you take water and sewer out of the City of Freeport's budget, this is about the same as the City spent on operations--and the City has firemen, policemen, a street department and numerous miles of streets and sidewalks and lighting to maintain.
How the Freeport Park came to collect this much in revenue needs to be investigated. Most taxing bodies talk about having to lay off employees to balance their budgets. In the case of the Park District, the employee payroll comes to a little more than $1.5 million. This works out to be less than 15% of the Park District's budget. This means the Freeport Park District could cut their budget by more than 80% and still not have to lay off a single employee.
This is ridiculous. The Freeport Park District has far too much money. We should be able to maintain and have decent parks for less than half of what the Freeport Park District is expending on an annual basis.
As reported on this blog, Freeport's leading blog, and thus far ignored by the Journal-Standard, Freeport's daily newspaper, the Freeport Park District is planning on issuing more than $900,000 in public debt to be paid back with future taxes.
The Journal-Standard ran the legal notice on Monday Sept. 28, 2009 but has yet to report on why the Park District needs to borrow $900,000 when they are by far the richest taxing body in Stephenson County.
Tutty wants readers of this blog (and Journal-Standard editors and writers) to go back and review the Freeport Park District's Treasurer's Report for the latest fiscal year. It was published on the back page of the Journal-Standard on October 2 and is as outrageous as it is interesting. If you've disposed of that edition of the newspaper, it will be worth your $.75 to go buy another copy. The Park District Treasurer's Report is that crazy, you'll have to see it to believe it.
For instance, in the past fiscal year the Park District expended well over $9 million. That's right, $9 million. If you take water and sewer out of the City of Freeport's budget, this is about the same as the City spent on operations--and the City has firemen, policemen, a street department and numerous miles of streets and sidewalks and lighting to maintain.
How the Freeport Park came to collect this much in revenue needs to be investigated. Most taxing bodies talk about having to lay off employees to balance their budgets. In the case of the Park District, the employee payroll comes to a little more than $1.5 million. This works out to be less than 15% of the Park District's budget. This means the Freeport Park District could cut their budget by more than 80% and still not have to lay off a single employee.
This is ridiculous. The Freeport Park District has far too much money. We should be able to maintain and have decent parks for less than half of what the Freeport Park District is expending on an annual basis.
It is just as ridiculous that the Journal-Standard has not yet reported that the Freeport Park District is planning on borrowing more than $900,000 and that there is a public hearing scheduled for October 20th regarding this proposed issuance of public debt.
Does the advertising that the Freeport Park District buys from the Journal-Standard double as hush money?
All Freeport Park District taxpayers need to read through the Freeport Park District Treasurer's Report and look at the outlandish ways the Freeport Park District Board of Commissioners have been giving away our tax dollars.
Little Cubs Field got $25,000, the Lincoln Douglas Society got $15,000 and the Freeport Concert Band got more than $10,000. While these might be important Freeport non-profits, if they can't make it on their own, the Freeport Park District has got no business subsidizing them with our tax dollars.
Read the Treasurer's Report and count up all of the banks and law firms that the Park District did business with in the past fiscal year. State Bank of Freeport alone was paid more than $3 million.
Look into what Tutty has reported here and voice your opinion to the Park Board and the Journal-Standard as well. One of the reasons the Freeport Park District has gotten so fat is that local media has forgotten that it is media's job to closely monitor local taxing bodies' appetites for tax dollars. The Journal-Standard and local radio need to do much better.
It's up to you to tell them so.
As always, yours in honesty, Tuty Baker, tutty.baker@gmail.com
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