April Election Update

I received an email back from the City Clerks Office this morning. I had sent an email yesterday afternoon asking Ron Colyer if he could let me know who turned in their petitions on Monday for the April Election. Here is the list I was sent back by the Deputy Clerk.

Alderman Ward 1 - Steven D. Reis
Alderman Ward 2 - TJ Matthews
Alderman Ward 3 - Jeffery D. Huch
Alderman Ward 4 - John W. Piazza

I had a hunch that TJ Matthews would be on this list. He has come to a few Monday night city meetings over the last few months.

Jeff Huch was alderman in Ward 3 before he lost to now alderman Oberkfell in '07 by 12 votes in a three way race.

I have included a Ward Map in case your not sure which ward you live in.

Elections in '11

The first date to file petitions is today Monday, December 13, 2010 and continues through Monday, December 20, 2010.

Today we may have our first glance at who will be running in the Spring.

Documents I Received

Motor Fuel Tax 5-Year Budget Projections

Capital Development Fund 5-Year Budget Projections

Lease Between City and The American Legion

November 5th, 2010 Tax Levy Memo to Mayor & Council

Committee Meetings 11/8/10

Alderman Rowe & Oberkfell were not in attendance at this meeting.

Finance, Claims, Bonds, & Interest

• Financial Projections – Motor Fuel Tax Fund and Capital Development Fund

Al Hudzik and Linda Sharp did some five year projections on these funds.

With their projections I believe they said it shows the MFT Fund with a negative balance in fiscal years ’14 & ’15 when counting current revenue projections and the currently projected projects we have scheduled.

The Capital Development Fund shows a negative balance, again according to what I heard them say, in fiscal year ’13-’14 with their current projections. The Capital Development projections included a $400,000 per year transfer to the city’s general fund which may not be needed but was projected. It also shows the income of the $450,000 general obligation bond the city is working to prepare now.

I have submitted a FOIA for these two projection sheets and will post when I receive them.

In regards to the MFT Fund Al said something along the lines of “it looks like no one projected to see if these were able to be funded” in reference to projects the city has planned.

Seemed to me the outlook shown above on two major city funds painted a black enough picture to make asking for annual 4.99% increase in the next discussion easier for everyone to swallow.

•Tax Levy Discussion

It is important to note that this does not always equate to an increase in your tax bill. If the EAV of the city increases enough by new home construction and development to cover the increased amount then current residents will see no change due to the city’s request.

Alderman Ebersohl noted that the council has asked for this increase every year he had been on the council. Al Hudzik noted last year was the first in a number of years to see an actual dollar amount increase, $.76/$100 assessed value to $.78/$100 assessed value.

Alderman Hejna noted she had never voted yes on this issue and she abstained last night, while everyone else in attendance voted yes. Hejna noted that this request when coupled with what the school district and county may ask for will more than likely lead to an increase for residents.

This increase would provide the city with approximately another $92,249 if passed at the next council meeting.

It was noted that the city really doesn’t know what the other taxing bodies will be asking for in order for them to realize if an actual increase will be passed onto the residents. We’ll see how many aldermen attend the school district budget forum meeting next week Tuesday. No school officials attended this committee meeting.

License, Insurance, Claims, CEMA and Contracts

•Cable TV Franchise update/discussion

In short Al Hudzik is negotiating an agreement with Charter Communications. The major sticking point is a change from 20 to 30 houses in a one mile stretch that Charter requires before they opt to install service. Charter wants 30.

It was also noted that HTC has contacted the city regarding a franchise agreement for their upcoming IPTV service.

Committee Meetings Tonight

First up is a 1st Quarter Review for the current fiscal year.

Then what appears to be a look back at a 2007 Hotel and Motel Accommodation Tax Rebate
Financing Agreement.

A discussion regarding a fire district follows, Alderman Roessler mentioned some discussions he had on this topic at the lats council meeting.

Then an executive session update on the June court filing against Aaron Griffith for 75% of the costs for his police training paid for by the city totaling somewhere in the neighborhood of $16,000. The agenda notes a settlement offer discussion. I would assume the discussion would maybe also include if the legal expenses are worth the possible amount of money we may recover.

The city website also seems to be missing meeting minute postings from August till the present.

In Case You Missed The Announcment....

Taken from Columbia's City Website.

September 28, 2010

PETITIONS FOR OFFICES OF ALDERMEN AVAILABLE AT CLERK'S OFFICE

Petitions for the City of Columbia offices of Aldermen Ward I, II, III and IV may be obtained at the City Hall Municipal Building, City Clerk's Office, 208 S. Rapp Ave., Columbia, Illinois between the hours of 8:30a.m. to 5:00p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday between the hours of 8:30a.m. to 12:00 noon. This is for the Consolidatd Election to be held on Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

Petitions may now be circulated. The first date to file petitions is Monday, December 13, 2010 and continues through Monday, December 20, 2010.

Any questions, call the Clerk's Office at 281-7144, ext. 104.

J. Ronald Colyer, City Clerk
Local Election Official
City of Columbia

Funding From Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Also Wednesday, the department announced that Rock City in Valmeyer will get

Story from the News Democrat found here.

I think solar and wind power are vital to stopping our dependence on fossil fuels. The in-kind donation as their match is smart and should be used more often in these situations. Would be interesting to see how large the panels are and what their break even time period is.

The bid story for us is the last paragraph in that story which is not even mentioned in the headline.

"Also Wednesday, the department announced that Rock City in Valmeyer will get a $750,000 grant to create 30 jobs at the National Archive and Records Administration storage facility and to support other businesses at the abandoned limestone quarry."

I wonder if we'll be seeing a good breakdown of how these funds will be spent. Glad to see the facility is being used and possibly growing.

I Was Taught About The Pitfalls Of Group Think In School.......Was Anyone Else?

It has been just over a week since you could throw those yard signs up for your favorite candidate(s) this fall.

I appreciate and like how people will place a sign for a candidate in their yard that they believe in. It shows everyone who your voting for and who your backing. Its a public stance on an issue that many people keep private. Its a choice that lets the general public "guess" at some of your most core beliefs simply by who your backing. Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, Big Government vs. Small Government, Guns vs. Less Guns and all the success or failures of the incumbent can be things people "guess" you support or don't simply by whose sign you have on your lawn.

I just have one issue with yard signs and how people use them.

There are a few instances where someone has gone down to the campaign HQ for either party and has opted for the party assortment package. It includes a sign for every candidate your party is backing for that election. I cannot fathom how any one party has the best candidate for every job opening or how someone can think their party has the best candidate for every open office. It simply does not make sense.

It illustrates in my mind that you may not have any knowledge of the candidates but "blanket faith" in the party. Say Quinn is better than Brady since Brady has released no budget plan other than he will fix it the first year in office, does that mean you should vote for Alexi over Kirk since Alexi and Quinn are in the same party? Is it rational to think that way? Is one party always correct?

The fact that the two parties go to war in Washington along party lines distorts what I feel the system was put into place for. A person elected from our district to Congress should do what is best for us locally and what we want, regardless of what their party is doing or not doing. I know many people who vote party lines and don't even worry about who or what these candidates have done or plan to do. Do a little research before you vote.

Keep putting up those yard signs as a statement to endorse the people you support, just make sure you know what they stand for and not just what party they are in.

Could Always Be Worse

Continued Trouble in Cahokia

Even with the complaints I have about how our council fails to communicate you do not have to travel very far to see how it could get worse.

This voter fraud thing has been lingering there for a while, too bad they can't figure this out a little faster.

Aldermanic Raises

This goes back to the committee meeting of August 23rd.

Very little discussion actually took place regarding this topic at the committee meeting. I only have a few notes from that portion of the meeting.

• Al Hudzik wanted to get the raises if any passed so that elected officials could take office April 19th or on the first meeting in May without any special meetings.
  
• Alderman Ebersohl suggested a 3% increase be used.
• Alderman Niemietz suggested that when this issue was delayed during the last election cycle the extra ordinances and special meetings probably cost more than the raises that were given.
• The Mayor said that he could easily defend a raise of $1000 over a term per alderman. He felt that the hours put in by the alderman easily justify the raises.
  
• Alderman Stumpf mentioned a 4% raise as the last time.
• All Alderman voted Yes to pass the motion to the council for 4% raises each year for the officials elected next spring.

At the council meeting of September 7th the council voted on the recommendation as follows.

Motion: Recommend to the City Council that the compensation of the city’s aldermen elected at the April, 2011 municipal election be the same as those aldermen elected in April, 2009 for the city’s fiscal year 2011 (05/01/11 – 04/30/12 (annual salary of $5,192)) and fiscal year 2012 (05/01/12 – 04/30/13 (annual salary of $5,400)), and that said aldermanic salaries be increased by 4% for each of the city’s fiscal years of 2013 and 2014.

It passed with a Yes vote from every alderman except Oberkfell, Stumpf, & Hejna.

I emailed those who voted no and Alderman Ebersohl who is my second alderman along with Oberkfell.

• I havent seen a reply back from Alderman Ebersohl yet.
• Aldermen Hejna asked that I call her, which I have not done. I find it best to get answers back in writing/email so I can keep my interpretation of what others are trying to convey to a minimum when I post here for others to read.
• Alderman Stumpf replied back with the following "The budget is totally out of control and no one seems alarmed. I would be a hypocrite to vote for an aldermanic raise, when come budget discussion next year, I will lobby hard for fiscal prudence and restraint."
• Alderman Oberkfell replied back with the following, "The real issue hear is that I do not feel we should be taking raises at this time. My feelings on this issue have been expressed many times before, and my stance has not changed. If you look at my past record you will notice I did not support the previous raises, however they were still approved by the council. The economy is in a state of dissarray and I believe no elected official should be adding to their pockets at this time."

I support the stance of those who voted no, as there is no money for this. I just find it confusing that at the committee meeting there was little discussion against a raise at all. There was no open discussion from any alderman at the committee meeting or council meeting saying they were against a raise and they would not support it. Its frustrating to see everyone make a motion to recommend with little talk of opposition and then have people vote no.

I understand that the vote in committee does not "count" and you can change your mind between meetings but why vote yes to recommend to the council something that you do not agree with. Why give it that chance to pass at the council level when you could stop it at the committee or at least express that you are not in favor of something. It could have been possible to pass a motion for no raises since three of the alderman up for re-election who would be affected by these raises did not want them.

If your against something you should voice your opinion on it. That's not a complicated concept.

Thanks again to Oberkfell, Stumpf & Hejna for voting no to a raise, even though its still happening. Planning for the budget should start now if real changes are going to be made and I would hope this is the first step they are planning to take.

Simply stating that the budget is not good will not suffice next spring. Actual suggestions and items to "cut" if needed will be required by those not in support.

Low Speed Vehicles?

At last nights council meeting they instructed administrative staff proceed with the necessary research and document preparation to prohibit the operation of low-speed vehicles on the streets of the City.

I wish I had been at the committee meeting last week to understand what brought this idea around, minutes of these committee meetings are not posted on the website yet.

For whatever reason it was brought up, I find it to be interesting. There was a representative there last night who sells these LSV's in a number of towns in Illinois, I believe this is his company's website, he mentioned if Columbia outlawed them they would be the first city in Illinois to do that, although it appears the city can prohibit them according to "Sec. 11-1426.2. Operation of low-speed vehicles on streets" which states the following

(c) The Department of Transportation or a municipality, township, county, or other unit of local government may prohibit, by regulation, ordinance, or resolution, the operation of low-speed vehicles on streets under its jurisdiction if the Department of Transportation or unit of local government determines that the public safety would be jeopardized.
(d) Before prohibiting the operation of low-speed vehicles on a street, the Department of Transportation or unit of local government must consider the volume, speed, and character of traffic on the street and determine whether allowing low-speed vehicles to operate on that street would jeopardize public safety. Upon determining that low-speed vehicles may not safely operate on a street, and upon the adoption of an ordinance or resolution by a unit of local government, or regulation by the Department of Transportation, appropriate signs shall be posted in conformance with the State Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices adopted pursuant to Section 11-301 of this Code.

I went back and found an article regarding LSV's in a retirement type community in Florida that I read last year in Wired Magazine that I thought of instantly when they were discussing thsi last night. Its worth a read and makes LSV's sound fun or at least interesting.

I don't see what they could hurt in town. I think most people need to slow down as it is. The law doesn't let them on Route 3, though they could cross it. The Illinois law requires a drivers license unlike the Florida situation in the Wired article I linked to. It may attract a new business to town, who knows.

Does Columbia need to be the first town in Illinois to challenge section "d" above? Probably not.

8:14 AM Wednesday
Ironic Followup: The new Issue of Wired arrived in my mailbox yesterday and the cover story is? The Tesla Electric Car and a good article regarding that company's influence on the global electric automobile industry and then some info on other electric cars to be released over the coming years. Please note that an electric car is not the same as a low speed vehicle, they can be confused as the same rather quickly.

My Feelings on the G.O. Bond Issue

My feelings on the G.O. Bond are mixed. On one hand I understand the need for additional income for the city to offset the costs we as a town are facing. On the other hand I also see this as an opportunity for the city to say OK we have been taxing the community for an extended amount of time with these bonds and we’re going to stop and every council member could actually say they reduced your tax bill in these tough economic times.

First the need - There are good reasons to issue the G.O. Bond and I’ll point some out below.

* The city clearly needs the income.

* It’s easy to do and the city can do it (albeit under a certain amount) without asking the taxpayer for permission.

* People are already paying for one so when it expires we’ll just start a new one.

* The cost is minimal as shown by Al Hudzik on 8/9/10. He noted the figure of $.03 per $100 assessed value. This as he pointed out is $30/year for a $300,000 home. Not everyone in Columbia has a home worth that. I think most would fall in my category at about $15/year. Can most people afford $15/year to get these projects done? Probably.

* This money will help offset some possible shortfalls to the general fund and alleviate some of the depletion of the capitol development fund. When the budget was passed it was explained that the use of the capitol development money was just and acceptable, as it was being spent on capitol development costs, this would offset those expenditures though.

* The money the bond will generate will be used on some well deserving projects as illustrated on the short list provided 8/23/10 to the council. Keeping these long planned projects going will be great for the city’s growth and future. Without this income the city cannot complete all of the projects on any of the lists. Services or infrastructure improvements will be cut.

* The state is behind on some tax payments to the city like I have discussed before and that is causing a budget shortfall in all areas. This will help.

On the Other hand.

* Maybe the city should end accessing funds in this manner. In a month or two the city will levy for the 4.99% tax increase they have every year I paid attention to the local government. The key at 4.99% is no vote is required from the people for a levy of that amount. The council could say this year we need more since we have a shortfall and levy for 5.5%. The community would likely say no but at least we would have a voice in our local governmental system and the tax increases placed upon us.

* The cost is minimal over one year. This will last for a minimum of six years so it’s really costing me $90 on my house hopefully worth somewhere around $150,000. For the example Al gave its costing our friends in the Gedern at least twice that. Not breaking the bank, but everyone likes to keep their money.

* I would feel better having my taxes raised in another way and the city simply use the money on their own without using my money to pay down a “loans” interest. Call it 3% on the whole $450,000 and I am sure this is the incorrect way to figure it but that’s another $13,500. A lot of savings? No, but that would buy the building inspector the vehicle he needs or most of the equipment the parks department has on the short list, we would just have to prioritize what we need and when we get to buy it. Then again, this is what we should have been doing in the first place (budgeting and prioritizing)

* If when the budget was passed it was ok to use the capitol development money on these projects since that’s what the fund is for why the concern to lessen the blow to that fund now? If the first budget plan was ok why the cause for the change?

* The short list has the capability to use the entire $450,000 the bond will produce. That’s just one year’s list. If things do not improve next year how do we fund similar projects next year. We’re paying for this years projects over six years with interest.

I’ll admit that both sides have points. I do ultimately feel the city should not obtain another G.O. Bond. The budget is what it is. If the budget was good enough to pass without the funds from this bond planned or expected then we don’t need the bond, right? Going into the year everyone who voted yes on the budget said some cuts will maybe be necessary and we’ll keep tabs on how things go throughout the year.

Now is the time for those cuts to be made. The Bond basically allows for the council to ignore the problem with a temporary (this year only) and easy fix (no voter approval required). If the bond is issued and no hard choices are made now how can anyone expect the hard choices to be made next spring on next year’s budget.

I would welcome anyone's response to my views, via comment or email. I would encourage you to contact your aldermen or speak out at the public hearing when that time comes if you feel strongly for or against this issue.

Alderman Oberkfell and Hejna both voted "No" on Tuesday for the council to grant approval for the city staff to take the steps necessary to proceed with this bonds issuance in the amount of $450,000.

Chicago: Biggest/Best News since the Cubs won in '08

Mayor Daley is calling it quits, click for the story.

I've never lived in Chicago but know a number of people who have over the years both young and old. There has always been some grumbling about his reign and his fathers before him. Below is what I feel may be the largest reason for my distaste in the man.

The March 30, 2003 bulldozing of Meigs Field, maybe the last great small downtown airport.

Columbia Budget Fix - A General Obligation Bond

It was clear to me earlier this year when the city prepared its budget that taking money from the capitol development fund was not the ideal fix to the shortfalls of the city’s finances and I stated that idea at the appropriate time.

The state is currently two months behind on payments to the city which is an improvement over the four it was previously behind. These are sporadic payments at best with no guarantee that they will catch up anymore or not fall behind again.

At the August 9th Committee Meetings the Finance Claims, Bonds, & Interest Committee met to discuss “Finance/Budgetary Issues”. I’ll bullet point my notes from that meeting.

• The city has a bond issue that they may wish to renew. The expiring bond was for $375,000 at a 6 year term.
  
• Alderman Roessler: If the city does not renew it will expire. The cost to renew is low approx. $3,000.
  
• Al Hudzik: Current rate for the bond is .03-.04/$100 which works out to cost someone with a $300,000 house about $30/year or $2.50/month. The cost to renew the bond would be about $3,500 in legal fees.
  
• Linda: Kurt Froehlich in Champaign could handle the renewal of the bond. She thinks we could spend the money over three years and the tax to repay the bond is already built into the city’s tax structure.
  
• Alderman Hejna: Had a few questions about going out to bid for council on the bond.
  Al: Said that the fee of $3,500 was very reasonable and it’s under a $10,000 expense so no bidding process is required.
  
• Alderman Niemietz: Should we look at spending some of this money to expand the lagoon capacity?
  
• Ron Williams: Not right now as our capacity is 1.6 million gallons and we are using under 1 million right now.
  
• Linda: Water and Sewer can issue their own bonds for any of those needs; the issue currently is capitol development depletion.
  
• Alderman Stumpf: Bonds tend to have specific purposes; this is more of a bailout.
  
• Alderman Oberkfell: The city has raised its levy 4.99% over the last three consecutive years.
  
• Alderman Roessler: This would help us keep better fund levels.
  
• Alderman Hejna: She would need a list of things the city intends to buy with these funds, as some items should maybe just not be purchased.

It was determined OK for Al Hudzik and Linda to contact Froehlich to explore the issue. No one voted no on the issue.

I wrote this synopsis some time ago but thought it best to wait until I had the documentation handed out to the council that night 8/9/10 to add for anyone to look at.

At the August 23rd Committee Meetings the Finance Claims, Bonds, & Interest Committee met to discuss “Finance/Budgetary Issues” & “General Obligation Bond Issue Information Presentation/Discussion”. Nothing was discussed under the first heading and I’ll bullet point my notes from the Bond discussion.

• Capitol expenses are an eligible use of these potential funds.
  
• The funds must be spent within the first three years of the issue.
  
• When issuing the bind it is best to use general language and not mention very specific projects/items, this was changes in what to spend the money on later can be made if needed.
  
• Fixing up the Oak Street property may be OK but it would complicate dealings with certain IRS rules that may not be worth the hassle.
  
• $375,000 - $450,000 is a small amount for a 6-year term.
  
• Keep the repayment back loaded as property values should rise Columbia in by the time years five and six are due. Possible payment schedule $70,000/years 1 & 2, $75,000/years 3 & 4, $80,000/years 5 & 6.
  
• Possible use could be to pay off ambulance lease off early as the bond carries a lower rate.
  
• Whole process should take 1-2 months to complete including a public hearing.
  
• There is no need for a call provision since rates are unlikely to drop below the current rates available.
  
• Linda: Had a list of possible projects/items that she pulled form all departments that all get money from the general fund.
  
• Alderman Roessler: Asked if anyone was against proceeding with the idea of renewing the bond, no one said anything.
  
• Alderman Stumpf asked if the bond issue would be more, which he found out that it can if the would like it to be.
  
• The committee decided to move forward at a $450,000 amount. Ebersohl made the motion which Stumpf seconded and Hejna and Roessler voted yes on.

I wrote this synopsis sometime last week but thought it best to wait until I had the documentation handed out to the council that night 8/23/10 to add for anyone to look at.

I received the linked pdf documentation last Friday. I'll be honest I was outside working on the yard and in my garage with the nice weather we had over the holiday weekend. I'll reserve judgement on the issue until I read over the paperwork everyone else was looking at, I've scanned it but not read it thoroughly. I briefly talked with a few of the alderman after the 8/23 meeting. I'll get my opinion posted sometime this week.

Blago

I caught the partial edited interview on Comedy Central last night and was impressed at how Stewart actually confronted him on a number of issues while slipping in a few quips especially about the hairdo.

Don't watch it if your not OK with foul language. As far as I know not too many kids are reading my blog. I don't see Rod in too many sit down interviews since he doesn't answer questions very well he mainly dodges the Chicago media altogether.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 2 www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor

The Seven Lies of Downtown - Bert Stitt

My last post was regarding an article reviewing another article. I'm the type of guy who wants to read the original along with someone else synopsis just in case they might have missed something. Well Bert Stitt emailed me back with a copy of his article as an attachment.

I wanted to post a link to a copy of the article which he mentioned was originally presented sometime in the eighties at a State of Pennsylvania downtown conference. The article has changed over the years it appears. Link to Google Docs Copy of Article.

I found points 8, 9, & 10 rather interesting in regards to Columbia. Number 10 especially since the city is moving forward with the Main Street street scape project (on the agenda for tonight's committee meetings 8/23) that raised a great number of questions at the last council meeting. Questions that should have been asked previously. Questions that I think stem from new eyes that may not have been around when the street scape plan was first developed, not just members of the council.

Downtown Revitalization

I have been looking recently for articles and research on small town revitalization and came across an article that summarizes an earlier journal article by Bert Stitt. I have not been able to find the original article by Stitt, but I have sent an email off to Stitt to request a copy. I’ll see if I can locate the actual journal article by more traditional methods at a later time.

Dr. Besser has summarized the main beliefs that Stitt believes diminish the revitalization of downtown areas. I keep added my feelings in green italics below Dr. Bessers comments.

Community Connections News Release
Beliefs That Hinder Downtown Revitalization
December 23, 1996
by Terry L. Besser
Assistant professor and extension sociologist
Iowa State University Extension to Communities

Vital, hospitable and active downtowns provide communities with a source of pride and a location for congregating, socializing and dealing with community affairs. Towns without functioning downtowns become a collection of domiciles housing people who work, shop, socialize and seek entertainment elsewhere. These places may continue to be recognized as towns by mapmakers, but they are not the same kind of community we commonly associate with small towns. The whole community is affected by the nature of the downtown. It is for these reasons that downtown revitalization should concern the whole community and not just the local business owners.
In a recent article in Small Town (July-August 1996), Bert Stitt warns small town business owners and community leaders that belief in a set of common myths jeopardizes constructive steps to revitalize main street business districts. Stitt was the downtown development coordinator for the state of Wisconsin and is now a private consultant. The beliefs that follow are a condensation of his ideas.

Belief No. 1. People should shop locally.

Stitt maintains that for most merchants this is a hypocritical position. He challenges business owners who make this claim to turn away the business of all non-local customers. Anyhow, according to Stitt, scolding people to shop locally doesn’t work. It might influence a few people, but many others are put off by the preachy tone.

More importantly, concentrating on the "disloyalty" of local people diverts attention and energy from the constructive tasks of learning about potential and current customers, and what they want in terms of services and product selection. Stitt cautions that if business operators don’t understand and cater to the wants and needs of current and potential customers, they will not be successful in retaining the business of even the most loyal local residents.

I understand the idea behind “Think Monroe County First” which Columbia supports and was all that came to mind when I read Belief #1. I do believe the “Monroe County First” initiative has stayed clear of sounding preachy as described above. They offer promos and rewards for shopping local rather than saying shopping elsewhere is bad. The closest they come to “preachy” is pointing out the positives economically of spending your money in Monroe County and the negatives of spending it elsewhere.
I do think sometimes people here tend to make a point specifically regarding how they shop locally or wear it as a badge of honor that they shop locally. This was never the case when I lived in Edwardsville where people often drove to Fairview Heights for many years.

Belief No. 2. Lack of parking is the major obstacle to main street vitality.

According to this logic, the ample parking provided by the "super stores" and shopping malls is the major reason for their success and the demise of downtown businesses. Stitt recognizes that parking requires attention. Improvements such as the provision of adequate lighting and maintenance, good signage, enough open spaces, easy passage between street and businesses, and a sense of hospitality are important.

Even so, all the parking in the world will not by itself attract customers. In fact, if there is plenty of parking and no cars, people may suspect that the business is not open or that the products and services offered are undesirable. Customers are attracted to stores, in Stitt’s opinion, that provide desired products and services in a convenient, pleasant atmosphere. Adequate parking is a necessity, but not a sufficient factor alone for retail success.

The Main Street Improvement Plan addresses the improvements mentioned above. I feel parking is hardly an issue in Columbia, at least right now. If downtown becomes a bustling center of commerce then it may creep up in the future. We have plenty of side streets where people can park. Certain parking areas could use some “beautification” I suppose, but overall I think this is not yet an obstacle for Columbia.

Belief No 3. We need more jobs in town in order to revitalize the downtown.

The falsity of this claim is apparent by considering all of the towns that have more jobs available than residents looking for work, yet they still have deteriorating downtowns. Adding more jobs won’t necessarily add more population to the community, nor customers to the downtown. Where we work, live and shop are independent of each other in the modern era of highways and automobiles.

A recent study at Iowa State University revealed that in the average small town 47 percent of employed people work in another town, 50 percent shop someplace else for daily needs, 73 percent go to another town for entertainment, and almost nine out of ten of them shop elsewhere for big ticket items. Residents have the choice of doing business in their home town, their work town, towns conveniently located in between or in a larger adjoining metropolitan area. Where they shop will be determined by a combination of convenience, product mix, price, service and shopping atmosphere.

This point is clear in that I can name a few areas in the St. Louis area where they have great down-towns that people from all over drive to; Delmar Loop, Kirkwood, Old St. Charles, Grafton, & Alton come to mind. Increasing Columbia’s population does not mean our downtown will all of a sudden become more vibrant.

Regarding convenience and product mix I’ll be honest that I haven’t tried every option in Columbia or even Monroe County for that matter to buy things when I need them. I head up to Ace and buy things that they have when I need them and I must admit from time to time they have something the “big box stores” don’t. If I am on my way home from work or need drywall, 2x framing material, etc. Home Depot is hard to pass up. I think the important point is to understand Columbia will never provide us with everything we need or want and even if Columbia somehow does accomplish this feat we may not always shop here.

Belief No. 4. Downtowns are made up of independent business people.

This statement is not totally inaccurate. However, according to Stitt, successful main streets are usually populated by business owners who have put their fierce individualism aside to work together for their shared interests. Cooperation, not independence, characterizes vital small town business districts. Examples of cooperation include coordination of store front restorations, marketing strategies, product and service offerings; deciding on consistent hours of business; sharing information on technology, suppliers, customers; pooling resources to be able to afford consultants, renovations, employee training and benefits programs; and on and on.

The list of areas that could result in mutual benefit through cooperation is extensive. Stitt contends that business owners must learn to work effectively as a group for their own and the community’s welfare. They should understand how to conduct effective meetings, how to organize and sustain effective group activities, and how to deal with difficult people and contentious topics.

Assistance in learning these important meeting and group skills is available from your local Iowa State University county extension education director. In addition, the county director has access to information about many aspects of small town business success.

While I do think our businesses are working “together” I think that may only be to a point since many of the businesses downtown are in competition with each other. There are a few groups that are creating for the lack of a better term “coalitions” to work to bring attention to Columbia’s downtown. Our town provides an excellent resource in Paul Ellis to work to gain interest and resources to develop not only downtown but Columbia as a whole.

I have to say that Columbia has many events that happen downtown that attract gatherings, if not downtown than at Metter Park only one block off Main Street. I have not lived here as long as most but Columbia seems to be making strides at developing the downtown district.

Columbia's Attorney Woes.

With a vacation earlier this month to the Southeast including the wife's first trip to Epcot and a stop at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta was a nice change of pace Things seem to be getting busier at work again so time for the blog has slipped.

Not much has been happening up a city hall unless you want to talk about attorneys.

A legal bill is running up a total for an issue at the police station that I have to believe may be getting close to the amount of money that the attorney was hired to recover. It will be discussed in executive session at next weeks committee meetings. I am glad Alderman Stumpf brought it to light on Monday night.

The main attorney issue is that of the new city attorney who was selected a few weeks back. I missed the meeting (first one in a long time) but I was told it garnered little obstruction at that meeting. On Monday night when discussing the fee schedule for the newly appointed attorney Alderman Hejna presented the council with a enveloped packet detailing complaints from former clients and the Martindale Hubble rating for the new attorney.

Discussion then took place regarding if Tom Adams had a Martindale Hubble rating and what Tom Adams thought of Martindale Hubble ratings. Tom said he had been asked to be interviewed for an "A" rating but declined and that he knew of some attorney's with "A" ratings he would not recommend to anyone.

I don't know how the mayor weigh his decision to select a new attorney. I don't know what the new attorneys Martindale Hubble rating is or if that would even be a credible measure to use. I searched for it online but could not find one for Belsheim & Bruckert, LLC. I spoke with Alderman Oberkfell after the meeting and I asked him how long the new attorney is on board for. The response was for one year as all appointments.

I say let it go for a year and see how they perform. It seems the new attorney has a decent background in municipal law that will keep us out of trouble for a year, then the council can decide if they made a mistake.


The most ironic thing I took from the entire meeting was that Alderman Hejna presented the council with "surprise" material the night of the meeting. I do not know what was in the prepared packet, it may have been greatly valuable information.

The irony is that Alderman Hejna has voiced concern time and time again for information not being given to the alderman on the Friday before a meeting, in order for everyone to have time to review the information. In order to be an effective leader, which is what the all of the alderman should be, you must lead by example in order to obtain desired results.


Communication is the largest problem facing our council.

The state is now five months behind in payments to the city totaling approximately $343,000.

A little off topic for my blog, BP in the Gulf

On a more global outlook I cannot even grasp my mind around the problems in the Gulf of Mexico over the last 65 or so days. When the Deepwater Horizon sank and 11 people died we knew it would be bad. When we realized the riser pipe had broken off while it sank we knew it was getting worse. Then we realized the blow out preventer was not functioning and oil was pouring into the Gulf we knew things were getting much worse. After a few failed attempts at stopping/containing the spill in various ways BP used a scissor-like shear to cut the pipe in an attempt to cap the pipe once again. Well they cut the riser but the cut wasn't clean and the cap idea is not working as well as expected.

When the Deepwater Horizon first sank people said it could not be worse than Exxon Valdez. Right after the sinking the media was reporting that about 1,000 barrels a day were leaking. I was seven when the Exxon Valdez hit the reef in Prince William Sound but I remember reading about it in school and seeing it on children’s shows for years thereafter. The low end estimate for the Valdez is 10.8 million US gallons of crude. This amount covered roughly 1,300 miles of coastline and 11,000 square miles of ocean. We all thought that was as bad as it could get. Take the original estimate of 1,000 barrels a day and lets do some math. 1,000 barrels at 64 days would yield a little over 2.6 million gallons which is not quite at Exxon Valdez proportions. Unfortunately estimates of how much oil is actually leaking have done nothing but get larger. The numbers and estimates vary wildly but one worst case scenario now touted by the federal government is around 44,000 barrels a day. It sounds worse when you extrapolate it out, 2.85 million barrels over 64 days comes out to 130,000,000 million gallons of crude.

How can all of this happen may be the first question you ask yourself. That answer may be any number of things including but not limited to corporate greed, lack of enforced regulations, or poor construction of the well or its components. Maybe it was too much turning a blind eye by politicians and businessmen or possibly a simple mistake made by an oil worker.

I tend to believe the correct question is “Why is there no better solution for fixing the leak?” It seems to me that we were led to believe that BP was coming up with these ideas on the fly. BP warned the fixes may not work because the leak was over 5,000 ft below the waves but they were the best options available and had proven to work in the past on shallower leaks. A clip from Rachel Maddow on MSNBC was brought to my attention which illustrates these “fixes” have been attempted in the past and did not work in shallower water. Please note that I rarely watch Rachel Maddow and rarely agree with one sided commentary from any source but this clip is worth the watch.



If the relief wells that are being drilled were our only true “fix” all along was all of the hurried work BP has done to this point merely a public relations campaign to look as if they were trying to fix the problem? As Maddow pointed out why hasn’t the technology to fix a leak improved at the same pace as the technology to drill deeper faster. Why hasn’t a better containment process been developed since the 70’s.

I simply don’t know what to say at this point.

Lets talk cleanup. How do you get 130 million gallons of oil out of the Gulf of Mexico? How fast can it be done? Will it be in time to miss a hurricane sweeping through the Gulf this summer? I don’t think anyone has a plan for collecting all of the oil from the surface of the Gulf let alone any oil suspended below the waves in the so called “oil plumes”.

More questions fill my head every time I spend any amount of time thinking about this issue. I know it’s an old picture but you cannot tell if he is just thinking or praying. I like to think he is doing both, he needs to be in this case.

Passing a serious and responsible state budget is the most important thing lawmakers in Springfield do.

"Passing a serious and responsible state budget is the most important thing lawmakers in Springfield do. So far this year, it's safe to say that they failed miserably. And residents from every corner of the state will pay for their inaction."

The text above is the conclusion to an article by Adam Doster at Progress Illinois regarding a paper called "Passing the Buck" which was written by Larry Joseph and Manya Khan of Voices for Illinois Children. It's worth the read.

It should becoming more of an issue everyday for the people of Illinois to find and support candidates that will do their jobs in Springfield once elected.

Grant Application

It was actually revealed during the budget discussions a few months ago that the city was looking to possibly purchase some of the land that the American Legion now owns, I did not say anything in the blog at the time as it was a slip at the meeting and better left not mentioned.

It was said last night that the city is planning to use the grant money I talked about yesterday to purchase land from the Legion for park use. Not sure what the price is or what amount the city is planning to purchase. I might file a FOIA for the grant application just to see what information I can get on the subject.

It's not that I am against parks or their development. It's an issue when you figure we have park space that is currently undeveloped and the city is still tracking unpaid real estate taxes from the state for four months previous. With no solution on the horizon from the state and available land on hand is this the best use of money? Its hard to know without all of the info.


UPDATE:
I filed a FOIA request to the city on 6/22/10 for a copy of the Grant Application. I'll share the info once I receive a copy.

What I have been doing.

I have not been posting as often as I would like to. People are still checking the page and for that I am grateful. I'll try my best to get back to posting a little more often.

I have been attending the meetings on Mondays as usual but overall things seem to be running smoothly for the city. Grants have been an issue of discussion for a little while and one is up for approval tonight, an Open Space Land Acquisition & Development (OSLAD) Grant to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

It looks to be a 50% match type of grant for the purpose of developing existing or purchasing new land for park use. Its the 50% match that worries me when the grants can be upwards to $750,000 for new purchases. I would hope the city is going to use this money to develop existing land the city already owns, but I think we're looking at buying some more land for park use. Perhaps we can find out tonight or just FOIA for a copy of the grant application or better yet the city could just let everyone know whats going on, we'll see what happens tonight.

You Have to be Kidding, Right?

The state has left the largest budget question this year without an answer; How to fund this years pension contributions.

Link to the article over at Progress Illinois

I have always found Progress Illinois to have a very Barak Obama feel to it. The site as a whole seems to tilt a little to the left, which is fine so long as when you read it you keep that in mind. Their party has let them down and they know it.

Link to Center for Tax and Budget Accountability "White Paper"

I know this was linked to in the Progress article as well but its to important to miss. It more like a "red paper" as the budget as we knew all along does not look pretty. Everyone can see now there simply is not enough money to fund what the state needs to fund.

The "deficit" without the pension contribution is about $7 billion. Divide that among the roughly 13 million people living in our fine state and that's about $540 a person. Spread each persons share over three years and add 5% interest to defer the payments and would would each end up owing the state about $190 a year, well we wouldn't owe the state really because they aren't paying their bills.

Does anyone want this? No. But its an idea which is more than Springfield has provided us in the last couple of years. Spread it over five years or ten years, it doesn't matter. The money must come from us the taxpayers. Yes I think the state should ask us for more money, in tough economic times, its a solution. Its the simplest solution which might also lead to fewer votes in November.

Now we just need somewhere to get another $4 billion to make those pension payments, to a pension fund that is already underfunded.

Madison County Pay Increases

Does this seem like a no brainer to anyone else.

Link to BND Article

How can so many elected officials continue to do what they want in the face of their constituents, many of which are struggling in these economic,is times. I think the more important question is why do we keep electing them.

Some will feel I may be biased to Matt Rice as I went to college with him. I can attest to some good political talk with him while we were in school. We did not always see eye to eye when discussing the topics but I think he has a good view on what matters. Matt is a guy who "gets it" from what I know of him. I only hope that if elected he can stay true to what he says now.

Matt Rice, Republican candidate for county recorder, said county officials are already "extremely well-compensated," and don't need a raise.

"In the real world, you're lucky to have a job, much less get a pay raise in this economy," Rice said. "The only thing this vote demonstrates is that our county officials need a wake-up call this November."

The naysayers may note its easy to say what he did when the office he is running for is not getting a pay raise. I would rebut that if he said something like this now in print, it will be far easier to call him out if his elected position comes looking for pay increases any time soon.

The sitting Treasurer Frank Miles who has said he would decline the raises. Maybe our local city officials could do the same.

Discussion 5/17 Regarding Council Aldermanic Commitees & Committee Meeting Minutes

Discussion regarding the makeup of which alderman are on which committees and who should be be on which. The real disagreement was regarding none other than meeting minutes. Minutes used to be a hotly discussed topic. Lately they have been agreed upon rather easily. I have said before that all of the petty arguments like this are the problem with the council.