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Morning Shorts
Friday, Apr 20, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson * IDOT says road are in maintain mode * IDOT unveils 5-year plan * Funds for new roads stuck in quaqmire * Bills would delay utility shutoffs * End of line for CTA boss * New CTA boss leader’s track record
* Huberman’s CTA transit itinerary * Can new CTA director get you to work on time * A shift in tone at CTA’s helm * Tribune Editorial: Throwing Kruesi from the train
* Chicago spire gets plan commission OK * Naperville passes indoor smoking ban * Sun-Times Editorial: Big Box ordinance is best left on shelf
* Long-time state board employee named schools superintendent * House votes to ban sex offenders from voting at schools * Bill would restrict sex offenders at the polls * New report blasts use of TIF districts * Pending legislation on pet protection in spousal abuse cases * Section of I-90 to be named Jane Addams Tollway * Scare sends two to the hospital at Illinois Department of Revenue * Olympic organizing committee looking for top executive * Rosemont casino debate plays out in court * Editorial: The life and legacy of Donald Stephens * Cook Co. fires medical examiner
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- Disgusted - Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:01 am:
Like the infamous Hilton Hotel in Springfield, which earned its moniker by its shape, the Chicago Spire may, in the future, be known as the “Ladies’ Delight.”
- Jack T. Colt - Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:07 am:
It’s only April and look how many Blago and Daley people have been thrown under the bus. Rich - You should have a daily tally meter showing who’s been sacrificed to date.
Also for good measure throw a meter in for when Blago does or doesn’t address the press. The people need a chuckle!
- Wumpus - Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:29 am:
How appropo…appropriate that the spire gets the go ahead on 4/20.
- Opie - Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 8:58 am:
Actually the Chicago Spire eerily resembles a giant spliff or if owners douse it with glowing red light at night it would resemble Daley’s red hot poker.
But I like it, it could be a lot of thing to a lot people. It’s ART!
- Hugh - Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 9:06 am:
Commissioner Mike Quigley (D-10) Releases Major Research Report Questioning Effectiveness and Accountability of Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
Commissioner Quigley calls TIF a “back door tax hike,†urges major reform of the widely-used economic development tool
* In 2005, there were more than 373 TIF districts in Cook County, collecting over $686 million in property tax revenue.
* Several of Chicago’s TIF districts have failed to grow any more than similar areas where TIF has not been used, calling into question the policy’s effectiveness as an economic development tool.
* Despite taking in over $386 million from Chicago taxpayers in 2005—more than Chicago’s Streets and Sanitation and Transportation departments—TIF is effectively excluded from the city’s annual operating budget.
* Very little information on the hundreds of millions of dollars in TIF revenues and expenditures is easily accessible to taxpayers.
* TIF districts consume 10 cents of every tax dollar paid by Chicago taxpayers—the same amount collected by Cook County government in the city—yet there are no annual budgets or detailed accounting of how that money is spent.
http://www.commissionerquigley.com/library/taleoftwocities.pdf
- cermak_rd - Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 10:55 am:
Berwyn has 3 TIF districts, and I’m impressed with the differences they’ve made in the areas. So I don’t see TIFs as these awful things. The money is allocated in public sessions, so there’s certainly no secrets involved. Perhaps the problem is just that Chicago implemented TIFs poorly. I also don’t see why the “other governing bodies” automatically deserve a piece of the TIF moneys (those taxes collected above the base rate.) Frequently, better lighting and hydrants are part of the redo of the area so the public safety needs are frequently part and parcel of the TIF spending. After all, the idea is to make an area attractive to industrial or commercial buyers.