[Posted by Mike Murray]

* Retirement party for Ald. William J.P. Banks canceled

A retirement party for powerful Ald. William J.P. Banks (36th) has been canceled, just days after the Tribune reported that invitees were asked to make their checks for $200 tickets payable to Banks personally.

* Cook County State’s Attorney Reopening Neighborhood Offices

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is making good on one of the major campaign promises she made.

The theme that repeatedly came up during last year’s race for state’s attorney was the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Then candidate Alvarez said small state’s attorney’s offices in neighborhoods were key to restoring that relationship. Today, she used a giant pair of scissors to open the second such office on Chicago’s south side. The first office opened up on the city’s north side a few months ago and it’s run by Joy Repella. She says people now have a convenient place where they can get legal questions answered, like one resident who got a strange check in the mail.

-Another elected official that refuses to just go away and stop causing problems…

* Flowers’ move jeopardizes bus driver training

School bus instructors have voiced concern to the Illinois State Board of Education that Flowers is threatening to cancel bus driver training classes, withhold instructor payment and refuse to certify bus drivers if there aren’t at least 50 participants in each class, documents obtained by the SouthtownStar reveal.

The Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education received more than $15,000 in grant money from the state for the program, according to ISBE records. In addition, the office receives about $6 per class participant.

Bus drivers are required to take an initial class - which typically lasts eight hours, covers things like how to deal with rowdy kids or students who have seizures on the bus, and culminates with a 65-question test - before they can be certified. Every year after, they have to take a brief refresher course.

In her 30 years as a bus driver and two years as a bus driver instructor, Kathryn Bruck has never seen a class of 50.

* Chicago 2016 revises statement on Scott land deal

Michael Scott’s role in helping West Side ministers develop city-owned land near a proposed Douglas Park Olympic venue raised the perception of a conflict of interest and should have been disclosed up-front, Chicago 2016 acknowledged Wednesday.

“In hindsight, given Mr. Scott’s role as agent for the group, it is understandable that a third party, without knowledge of the facts, might perceive a conflict of interest,” Chicago 2016 said in a prepared statement.[…]

The statement went on to say that Scott, who also serves as Chicago School Board president, “intends to submit a revised conflict of interest statement” outlining his role in the proposed development and “affirming that he has no financial gain from the project.” He also “intends to accelerate his separation as agent for the group,” officials said

* Chicago 2016 defends member’s plan to build near cycling venue

“Chicago 2016 has concluded that Mr. Scott had no conflict of interest between his volunteer role with Chicago 2016 and his efforts on behalf of the religious leaders seeking to improve the community surrounding Douglas Park,” the statement said. “Mr. Scott has had no role in the determination of venue locations and was not involved in the decision to utilize Douglas Park for certain venues.”

The Olympic committee’s conflict-of-interest policy requires officials to declare any interest in any project that could benefit from decisions made by Chicago 2016. Experts have said that the property in Scott’s project would increase in value if the cycling venue is built in Douglas Park.

-Brown makes a great point in his column about how we treat felons…

* City ordinance steals livelihood from repo man

Since May, however, Shrewsbury and many others like him have found themselves barred from repossessing cars in Chicago under a new city licensing ordinance that disqualifies everyone with a felony conviction in their past.

This has to be the ultimate in the hypocritical treatment accorded ex-offenders in this country.

We tell them to rehabilitate themselves and then we shut off one potential avenue of legitimate employment after the next by passing new laws prohibiting them from an ever longer list of jobs.

- This is a rarity, but Kass also makes a good point that is not simply conjecture for once…

* Lincoln Park punches felt down at City Hall

There’s worse crime out there.

How many weekend killing sprees in other neighborhoods are answered with residents marching by torchlight, clergy calling for an end to the terrible violence, the mayor or someone from his office marching with the people as they hold hands, TV camera crews walking nimbly backward, to chronicle the steps?

Children are being slaughtered in some corners of the city, but there’s no real political heat once the cameras leave.

Yet when insulation is lost by taxpayers with access to power, by folks who pay more in property taxes than many Chicagoans earn in a year, you bet it’s a political story.

- Brown has another good article on tax oddities in Cook County, it’s worth a read…

* One restaurant’s lease is another’s $1 million license

To cover those situations, we have something called a leasehold tax, which is assessed against leases on otherwise tax-exempt property. You can understand the reasoning. Businesses that don’t have to pay property taxes shouldn’t be given an edge over those that do, nor should the public be deprived of the revenue.

As a result, the owners of Tasty Dog learned just last year that Cook County officials were billing them for $106,588 in back leasehold taxes that should have been paid since they moved into the new location — about $19,000 a year.[…]

That’s because the Illinois Appellate Court ruled that the “concession permit agreement” under which Park Grill pays a fee to occupy space in Millennium Park is not a lease at all but a license — and therefore exempt from the leasehold tax.

The ruling was a setback to the Cook County assessor’s office, which had sought to put the Park Grill on the tax rolls after the Sun-Times reported in 2005 that the restaurant, which opened with backing from clout-heavy investors including mayoral pal Fred Barbara, wasn’t paying property taxes. The assessor argued that the restaurant really does have a lease, even if Park District officials chose to call it something else. So far, this has saved the Park Grill $982,239 in taxes and interest, the county treasurer estimates.

-And there are a whole host of new revenue generating / budget reducing efforts at the municipal level…

* Utility tax plan causes concern

PEORIA —

Increases in golf fees, swimming lessons and a spike in hospital costs could be consequences of a utility tax being discussed to help fill a gaping hole the city’s budget.

With the City Council weighing a possible 5 percent utility tax on water, not-for-profit organizations such as hospitals, colleges and local governments like the Peoria Park District are examining how they can absorb a cost that could impact their operations.

Especially a concern for these organizations is how the city tax will affect their bottom lines at a time when Peoria’s water provider, Illinois American Water, is seeking a 28.39 percent water rate hike from the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Chief financial officers at the city’s cash-strapped hospitals — OSF Saint Francis Medical Care Center, Methodist Medical Center and Proctor Hospital — say the proposed increase could lead to operational changes within their organizations.

* Winnebago County officials expect protests as property assessments sent

Property values are on the rise again this year for most of Winnebago County despite the continuing economic problems.

The Winnebago County Supervisor of Assessments office sent out assessment notices to 40,000 property owners this afternoon. An additional 80,000 or so property owners won’t get assessment notices in the mail, but their taxes will likely go up, said Beverly Campion, the county supervisor of assessments.

The reason is 10 of the 14 townships in the county have listed multipliers that go up anywhere from a little over 1 percent to nearly 5 percent this year. Cherry Valley, Durand, Laona and Burritt township multipliers remained flat.

“It is based on the prior three years,” said Rockford Township Assessor Ken Crowley, who conducts assessments for the county’s largest township.

* Geneva weighs tax hike on all phone lines

Aldermen appear to favor increasing the telecommunications tax on every land line, cell phone and Internet-based phone in the city.

In Committee of the Whole this week, the council voted 8-0 to hike the tax from 4.5 percent to 6 percent, which is the limit state law allows the city to charge.

A final vote still will be taken at the full City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 17 in City Hall, James and First streets. Tentative approval came after a long discussion of revenue losses and budget cuts in the 2009-10 fiscal year.

* Aurora gives approval to red light cameras

In about a month, the city of Aurora should be operating red-light cameras at its intersections.

* City to license hotels, eyes towing firms

On Tuesday, the City Council passed a new law putting hotel businesses under city regulation. The vote was 9-2, with Aldermen Rick Lawrence, 4th Ward, and Bob O’Connor, at-large, voting no. (Alderman Stephanie Kifowit, 3rd Ward, was absent.)

The city is still considering a plan to license auto shops and is developing a tow company licensing program. At Tuesday’s meeting, Sue Vos, head of the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, suggested using these proposals as a springboard toward licensing all businesses within the city.[…]

All existing hotel owners will get a license for free, one that will run until December 2010. New hotel owners will have to pay $200 to get a license, and all will have to pay $100 to renew a license.[…]

This law would cover any commercial towing operations in the city that remove cars from private property. Licenses for these companies will cost $125 per year.

* Oak Lawn mayor seeks delay in imposing layoffs

Trustees approved some further cost savings and agreed to consider a request by Mayor Dave Heilmann for a 60-day extension to the Aug. 31 target date for laying off 36 village workers.

Residents along with representatives and members of Oak Lawn’s employee unions packed the village auditorium to watch trustees spar over several issues - among them the planned layoffs, hiring a new law firm and privatizing the village’s family services department, which provides affordable counseling to local families. The latter two items were approved by the village board.

* Oak Lawn officials spar over layoffs

Meanwhile, even some of the officials who backed Deetjen’s plan Tuesday say they hope the Aug. 25 vote isn’t even necessary.

They’re hoping Heilmann can step in the upcoming weeks and help smooth things out between the village and its unions, some of which have offered concession packages that the village rejected for not going far enough. […]

But what’s clear is that the village’s estimated $2.65 million budget gap isn’t getting smaller.

Finance director Brian Hanigan said that Oak Lawn’s monthly payroll is $1.2 million and the “village doesn’t have 60 days.”

-Kadner’s column gives great context to this Oak Lawn showdown…

* Is there a new mayor in Oak Lawn?

L arry Deetjen is the new mayor of Oak Lawn, although he has never run for the office or received a single vote.

Hired out of Deerfield Beach, Fla., to become Oak Lawn’s village manager in July 2007, it became clear at a village board meeting Tuesday night that Deetjen is now running things - while an impotent Mayor Dave Heilmann protests that he is kept in the dark and implies that secret deals are being made.

The village manager form of government, common in the suburbs of Chicago, is an odd creature. While voters elect mayors and trustees, the village manager (their employee) has the legal authority to hire and fire department heads, law firms and even auditors. Because most suburban elected officials are part-timers, the village manager is a professional who runs the day-to-day government operation.

In addition to his other powers, Deetjen is also the chief negotiator for the village on union contracts and recently announced plans to lay off nearly 40 employees, including 11 firefighters, in a move to plug a $2.5 million budget hole. He has put together a 19-point plan to balance the budget that has never been voted on or even discussed in its entirety at a public meeting, according to Heilmann.

* Oak Lawn trustees agree on new law firm

* Midlothian misses out on stimulus funds

Midlothian will have to put three public works projects on hold indefinitely, now that the village’s application for federal stimulus funds has been turned down.

Mayor Terry Stephens announced the federal government’s decision at Wednesday’s village board meeting.

Stephens said the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which is administering the federal Public Water Supply Loan Program, reviewed the first 250 applications it received and Midlothian’s was not among them.

The village sought $2.6 million in loans to build a new water tower and replace sanitary sewers and aging fire hydrants. The federal program would have allowed the village to pay back the loan at 3 percent interest over 20 years.

* O’Fallon High School teachers voting on tentative contract agreement

The O’Fallon High School District Federation of Teachers had filed notice of their intent to strike. That appears to have been avoided with the proposed contract, which includes raises of 3.5 percent per year for two years for the high school’s 154 teachers.

-And Elgin can’t even give money away to people to get fit, man we are a fat nation. LOL

* Elgin gets no response for fitness grants

Worried by a “report” citing Elgin as the fattest city in Illinois, officials put the weighty news on a Web site and launched a fitness program — only to learn recently that no one knows if the fat title fits.

One thing is for sure in this suburban battle of the bulge: It hasn’t prompted the stampede toward healthiness officials hoped for.

With a Sept. 1 deadline looming to apply for $1,000 “wellness mini-grants” to subsidize healthy living initiatives, the Greater Elgin Area YMCA’s effort to help the community shed pounds has received zero requests for the cash, its coordinator says.

Not one — and the heavy silence has some officials worried.

* Pizzeria owner fights Mt. Prospect with slice of federal law

A federal law often used to attack organized crime syndicates and interstate business scams has been leveled by a Mt. Prospect pizza man against village officials he thinks are making a grab for his land.

Pizzeria owner Tod Curtis has launched a civil racketeering lawsuit aimed at Mt. Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks, other municipal employees and local real estate developer Errol Oztekin, alleging they have formed an “ongoing enterprise and scheme” for nearly a decade to force him out of Ye Olde Town Inn, which he has owned for 41 years.

Village officials said they regard Curtis’ racketeering charges as absurd. Village Manager Michael Janonis called the conspiracy claims “the stuff of Oliver Stone movies.”

* Oak Forest settles on new law firm

-No offense to the residents of Calhoun County, but in what way was this a surprise. I don’t like when people in tornado valley complain about twisters either. Know the negatives and positives of your environment…

* Residents complain of fish reek from lake draining

Residents near the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge in Calhoun County say their area stinks because the draining of lakes has left millions of dead fish rotting in the water.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources periodically drains the lakes, leaving dead and rotting fish, many of which are pumped into the nearby confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

The (Alton) Telegraph has received multiple complaints about the recent draining of Swan Lake, which covers 2,500 acres, but averages only three feet in depth.

Refuge Manager John Mabery says the lake gets silted in so badly it is necessary to drain it out every few years so new vegetation can grow. He also says 90 percent of the fish killed are unwanted species such as Asian carp and gar.

-Speaking of Asian Carp…

* Biggert pleased with Asian Carp decision

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert says she’s pleased at increased efforts to protect Lake Michigan from the Asian Carp fish.

Biggert said in a news release Wednesday that expanded parameters for the lake’s electric fish barrier are “a long time coming.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Coast Guard announced the plan increase in use of the barrier.

- It’s about time the CTA got with the 21st century…

* New, quicker ways of paying CTA fares sought

* Disabled riders to protest more fees

Disabled transit riders are expected to protest possible fare increases on Wednesday in a rally outside the Regional Transportation Authority headquarters in Chicago.

Paratransit, a ride service operated by Pace for people with disabilities, is facing a $20 million shortfall. A short-term solution to bridge the gap failed to gain support at an RTA meeting in July.

That plan would have involved minimal fare hikes plus contributions of money intended to be spent on capital projects from Pace, Metra and the CTA. The result could be doubling of paratransit fees, officials have warned.

Disabled community advocates say any increases will hurt a vulnerable population, many of whom are low-income. The rally is organized by Access Living, a support organization for people with disabilities.

* Cost of a cab ride going back up

Get an 50 cents ready for the cabbie again. Because Chicago area gas prices have averaged above $2.70 a gallon for the past six business days, the city said Tuesday that the surcharge on cab rides resumes at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

The surcharge is applied when gas prices rise above $2.70 for seven consecutive business days. AAA said the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the Chicago area was $2.77 Tuesday, up from $2.71 (but down from $4.06 a year ago).

While in the taxi, passengers should look for an orange sign displayed in the seating area announcing the surcharge. Without the sign, drivers are not permitted to collect the fee.[…]

The surcharge is dropped when gasoline averages below $2.70 a gallon for seven consecutive business days.

* Land for failed condos to become park

In a nod to the old adage “One man’s loss is another man’s gain,” the City of Chicago will expand a park on the Northwest Side after buying a 1.6-acre lot from a developer who backed out of plans to build condos in the area.[…]

The city plans to turn the land into the southwestern tip of 13-acre Ronan Park, which runs along the Chicago River’s North Branch between Argyle Street and Lawrence Avenue — a rare find in a predominantly residential area, Brawley said.

* 872 may be opportunity calling

The new 872 area code spells a new round of opportunity for connoisseurs of the creative phone number.

While an area code mathematically has the potential for 10 million combinations of numbers, each creates about 7.8 million usable numbers, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission, which announced the new area code. That’s because about 20 prefixes, such as 911, 000 and 555, are not used.

* Kids attack digital divide

Roughly 25 percent of Chicago residents don’t use the Internet, and 15 percent have limited access, according to a study by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Iowa. The report, “Digital Excellence in Chicago: A Citywide View of Technology Use,” was released last week.

Researchers, using a telephone survey, found that seniors and Spanish-speaking residents were far less likely to use the Internet than respondents who were younger and spoke English.

There wasn’t much disparity between black and white residents in terms of online use, though white residents were more likely to have Internet access at home, said UIC professor Karen Mossberger, who co-authored the study. Black respondents were more inclined to use public libraries for Internet access than white respondents. Latinos reported the lowest levels of use or access.

* Scooter’s, city reach compromise on seating

At a meeting Tuesday morning, city officials invited the owners of Scooter’s to apply for permits to place benches alongside their building. Dennis Moore, owner of Scooter’s, left the meeting with representatives of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the Department of Transportation confident that the applications will be approved.

* Doc who slipped, fell at O’Hare gets $800K

The City of Chicago has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a doctor who slipped on the floor and injured her knee at O’Hare Airport.

* Chicago Young Republicans say it’s OK to be right

Despite a defensive tendency by some to keep their political views to themselves, there’s been an organized effort for the last two months by Chicago Young Republicans to change hearts and minds. And it has people coming out of the woodwork, the group says.

Membership is up to 500, 10 times what it was last year, said board member Corrine Williams. A party the group threw at the Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville in June, featuring cover band Sixteen Candles, drew more than 800 people and was one of the largest Republican events in a decade, she said.

* Chicago Air & Water Show will be a 2-day event this year

For 51 years, the Chicago Air & Water Show has been roaring up and down the lakefront. This year’s event is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday — not a three-day show like last year’s half-century celebration. But it’s still expected to pack plenty of razzle-dazzle.

* WBBM beefing up coverage of Air and Water Show

In addition to the traditional radio coverage, WBBM is for the first time adding several forms of video coverage. Cameras along the Lake Michigan waterfront will stream live action images along with the audio feed via the WBBM Web site at www.wbbm780.com/airandwater.

* Navy Pier wants to try balloon rides

Hoping to send tourists — and spending — up, up and away, Navy Pier plans to open a new balloon ride as early as this year.