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Well the d204 saga continues.

Some of the most spoiled of our community stomped, cried, and called for an adult in state government to do their bidding, and finally got their way with District 204 School Board, albeit through the back door, as the Midwest Generation Company today succumbed to the pressure-cooker that is school district 204 politics, declaring they wont sell their land to D204,

http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/2306

http://www.ipsd.org/Uploads/news_18300_1.pdf

Interesting isn’t it?

Makes one wonder why a once willing seller, all of a sudden decided to pull a sure-fire sale,( especially in the current real estate market). Evidently the business owners made a grand social commentary, instead of a business decision and rejected the offer.

Or maybe it could have been some heavy weight state governmental-type pressure tactic, in the corner of the few Tall Grass residents who started the lawsuit, under the guise of a propped up tax exempt they run called the NSFOC, (better known around town as the “NO SCHOOL FOR OUR CHILDREN group) to stop the deal in its tracks.

No School For Our Children-NSFOC

These are a minority of 200 or so, but very vocal group who, it seems, desperately want to be school board members, with decision rights and power, but evidently dont have the time or inclination of actually running for the position.

The group hired lawyers and decided to throw everything (but the proverbial sink) truth, lies, and lawsuits, at the parties involved, hoping to steer the board BACK to their beloved, (and closer,newer, & more status driven) Brach-Brodie site.

Senator Holmes

Perhaps the biggest and heaviest item thrown by the TG/NSFOC folks, was the leverage of State Senator Linda Holmes-(D 42). Who, it has been suggested, was called in for her environmental clout at the state level.

Now I am sure Senator Holmes has plenty to do, but a local land/ School Board issue? What gives? Is this property even in her district?

Well, word is making the rounds that a major contributor to the finances of State Senator Holmes campaign is said to have been Macom Properties, who has been trying to sell property to IPSD for awhile.
Coincidence ?

Who knows if this is politics as usual, but the cynic sees a strange turn of events.

1. School District decision made
2. Landowners interested in selling land for new school
3. Small minority of constituents become upset
4. Tax-exempt started by minority group
5. Group sues School Board
6. State Senator with developer ties gets involved with the disgruntled minority
7. Landowner has sudden change of heart

Socially conscience business owners, unite!

Word has it that some pressure might have came down on the sellers from above. Could this be?

If so, shouldn’t everyone know exactly what was said, and by whom, to make a formerly interested seller in a rational business decision, all of a sudden, become so beholden to “community sentiment” and foresake a business decision.

Maybe the good senator could make a statement as to the extent of her involvement-if any.

Lord knows the government could use the tax receipts from a sale, any sale!

Best guess is that the seller just did not want need the pressure, as well as the general vitriol coming at them from the NSFOC folks. Who can blame them.

But the real problem here, beyond lack of transparency, is the insidious potential of a (minority) special interest group, leveraging state level political clout, to usurp a locally elected school board in a local power grab.

Everyone involved in this overthrow of a School Board’s decision should be ashamed.

Well, its been a while and just when you thought that an issue so derisive and contentious with its voters would be put to rest, ITS BACK.

Thats right ladies and gentlemen, and I do hope its Ladies and Genteel-men, because this fighting is starting to get ugly.

School district 204 recent news to relocate the proposed new HS called Metea, from the storied (and cursed) land of the Brock-Brody estate, takes another turn for the bizarre, as the good residents of Rt 59 sub-divisions, get out their checkbooks, summon their lawyers, and rally to battle the 204’s decision to move forward with the bond and new High School

Is it safe to say that the idea of a new high school is losing popularity each day. The bond barely passed ( the second time it was offered) -and no one is quite sure it would pass now.

After botching the purchase for the BB property ( a stones throw for White Eagle). The location and new divisions have forced, public transportation-starved Tall Grass communities to drive another 5 or so miles - gasp!!.

And now, one of the wealthiest subdivisions within the proposed boundaries are calling foul because of environmental and procedural items,as well as an overall distaste for driving Escalade-sized SUVs too far past Costco on their way to school.

To Wit : ( from an email distributed to residents)

Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 4:37 PM
Subject: School District 204

Dear Concerned Residents of District 204-

A group called Naperville Schools For Our Children (NSFOC) have decided to lead an effort toward legal action against the school board and have retained a Naperville attorney by the name of Shawn Collins. It is anticipated that the Board is planning to close on the Eola site March 10th. Thus, Mr Collins feels it important to file a motion for an injunction prior to that date. Below is a summary of initial points-

* There is a website set up NSFOC.org

* Mr Collins suggests proceeding with a two pronged approach; environmental and municipal.

* The environmental concerns are that of the contaminated soil and from the municipal side Mr Collins feels there’s a better than 50% chance that he can prove that while not explicit, there was enough printed communication that implied the community was voting on the Broch/Brody site with boundaries.

* The strategy is to seek an injunction to stop the purchase of the Eola site.

Time is of the essence so the next step from NSFOC’s perspective is to engage the entire community and start collecting money to fund the initial legal work. They initially suggested $204 per household to get started; $204 for district 204. They need to know by Wednesday of this week that they can fund the first leg of this which is anticipated to cost between $25,000 to $50,000. If you’d like to participate please drop off your check made out to NSFOC to either Laura ) or Lynda ) ASAP. Remember, this has to be a community effort and can’t proceed without the appropriate funding.

Lastly, there is going to be an “informational meeting” to a broader audience this week. It is planned for 7pm on Tuesday March 4th at the White Eagle Homeowner’s Club.
Mon, 3 Mar 2008 15:37:25 -0500
Subject: IMPORTANT 204 NEWS!
Dear District 204 Residents,
As most of you are already aware, on February 19th, the school board passed a new boundary proposal to go with the sudden change to the new Eola/Rt.88 school site - to go along with a higher cost yet to be determined. As we expected, the school board had already made up their minds as signified by the prepared statements they read.
Officials summarily dismissed rational and logical arguments from many individuals, ranging from pleas to follow their own criteria to requests to slow down and reconsider their planned actions. Many thanks to all concerned 204 residents and groups who showed up and/or spoke at the meeting. You have patiently waited for some action and next steps. You may have thought it was all over. It’s not over.
Next steps.

Legal firms have been interviewed (mostly by District 204 resident attorneys and business people familiar with the details). The Collins Law Firm has been selected as lead counsel and, pending your collective voice and support, action will be taken to force the Board and District to slow down the due diligence process relating to the environmental issues at the new Eola site, and to account for the representations that were made during the second referendum process (specifically promises that the third high school would be built on the BB land). Good relationships with other national firms and legal foundations are being maintained in the event they need to step in and help.
Several resident groups have reached out to join forces with our organization as a show of unity, and in recognition that inclusive actions by concerned parents across District 204 trump exclusive interests every time. We have also combined, and will continue to expand forces, with other neighborhoods in district-wide unity.
As you may know we are forming a non-profit organization to look after the interests, health and safety of our children and their right to attend the nearest schools to their neighborhood. Neighborhood Schools for our Children (NSFOC) is an umbrella organization, non-neighborhood specific, made up of District-wide members. NSFOCs main focus is overturning poor decisions made by the School Board.
Please pass this information on to interested parties who are unhappy with the decision-making in our district. We have setup a web site ( <http://www.nsfoc.org/> http://www.nsfoc.org) that we encourage you to visit and register with your contact information for newsletters and other flash communications that we send periodically as we make progress towards achieving our common goals.
To help volunteer and to become a member click on the REGISTER button, To help fund the effort, please click on the DONATE button. In order to proceed, we need the support of as many caring parents and citizens as possible. Although we have raised thousands of dollars, we will need thousands more to enforce our rights against an out of control process.
Please consider making a donation if you support moving forward for our children and our community! Numbers are powerful and we need to show that, contrary to the Board’s assertions, there are more than a few isolated residents who are not satisfied with their sudden change in direction.
The first rally is on Tuesday 3/4/08 at 7 PM, at White Eagle Club House, 4265 White Eagle Drive (take Route 59, turn west on 83rd street/Montgomery and left at first entrance by the pool - suggested way) Attorney Shawn Collins will attend.
Join us! By registering right away you can keep up with other events, news and information.
Sincerely,
Neighborhood Schools For Our Children

Now that sounds like warfare!

Good thing the people of Tall Grass know how to speak with their pocketbooks- it should get someones’ attention…$50,000 is alot of money. Maybe even a city council member or state senator will get involved.

However it is a shame for all those families who can barely afford their newly adjusted mortgage payments and gas money, let alone a donation to help sway legal decisions their own neighborhoods way.

Did not all of us vote in our elected officials because of their trusted judgment?

It seems silly to allow a wealthy contingent of any district to sway a school boards decision with legal clout and money.

It does seem that all this posturing is basically being raised because a subsection of people do not want their kids to go to a certain High School, although still located in the famed school district 204.

The remedy here is simple.

Send the kids to a private school, or move to a better district.

But don’t offer reasons for suing as legal this, and environmental that. Grandstanding is for politics.

Maybe 204 should consider putting the high school INSIDE White Eagle, or even purchase the clubhouse and renovate it for all of the students.

But as for the new High School, a better idea altogether would be to let the issue go and just move on.

From the great website Electronic Frontier Foundation, more on the NYTimes story on the big communication companies wiretapping everyone, and then trying to squirm out from their liability.

first the website    http://www.eff.org/deeplinks

next the video of whistleblower Mark Klein, ATT tech who is claiming foulplay that his former employer, was essentially splitting all phone,internet and wireless communications traffic, and shunting whole copies of that traffic into a private ( and NSA restricted)room.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=297abdd5-d0dc-4617-a6c9-c482fa316b59

Who knows what is really happening behind those secured doors!

Why the Subprime mess could not only lower your net worth, but could also lower your cash flow at home.

I always thought it funny (pathetic funny, not haha funny) that during economic cycles, local, state and federal taxing authorities tend to raise taxes early and often - mostly because they can be justified and tend to go largely unchallenged, as incomes rise for residents.

But what happens when the cycles turn ?

Do taxing and spending, ever slow down ( or go down?)

Today Naperville city council will take its first swipe at setting the next fiscal year’s property-tax rate at a 7 p.m. workshop today at city hall, 400 S. Eagle St.

Lets dissect the news report coming out of the Daily Herald ( The “Big Picture- Local Focus” )

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=66958&src=2

Naperville’s property tax rate could be going up for the first time in six years.

Can I assume stating that the tax rate being static for 6 years, does not mean my taxes have not gone up during those 6 yrs? Good.

City revenue projections for both the telecommunications and real estate transfer taxes are down by nearly a million dollars each. Combined with slower than anticipated growth of other revenue sources, the city’s finance department is suggesting almost a 10-cent hike in the property tax rate next fiscal year.

Oops!-seems somebody must have been betting the budget on the wrong horses and maybe even chasing past performance here…

That means the owner of a $400,000 house in Naperville would pay about $117 more for the city’s portion of their tax bill — assuming the value of their property stays the same.

In the past, increases in property values allowed the city to cut its tax rate and still receive more tax money. But now, with property values beginning to stagnate, that additional money may not be available unless the city increases its tax rate.

This part of the report might give the illusion that our taxes were stagnant, or even may have gone down, but we all know better. Even though the tax rate went down, absolute taxes went up. Lets not sugar coat it!

Because the council can’t increase the property-tax rate once it reports the figure to the assessors’ offices, it routinely sets it at higher point to be safe.

O.K., so lets be clear…the council, to be safe, raises our taxes to a high enough point, just in cast their forecasts are wrong? What kind of fiduciary would be given that much leeway without the accountability that goes along with it?

Why all the focus on 30% of the total , and not a word about the 70%?

Finance Director Doug Krieger said an increase is necessary to make up for the loss of nearly $2 million in revenue from the telecommunications and real estate transfer taxes. Those losses represent about 3 cents of the nearly 10-cent hike request.

Krieger said competition in the telecommunications market and the increasing popularity of Voiceover Internet Protocol technology has cost the city nearly $1 million in telecommunications tax revenue this past year.

A slowdown in the real estate market cost the city $900,000 in transfer taxes, Krieger said. Both residential and commercial property sales are down evenly, he said.

Combined with slower than anticipated growth of other revenue sources, the city’s finance department is suggesting almost a 10-cent hike in the property tax rate next fiscal year.

First off, what are the other 7 cents of the 10 cent hike going to?

Lets discuss the other revenue sources that are experiencing slowdowns of growth? –Or do we not know yet?-Maybe thats the amount the buffer point needs to be set at, “just to be safe.”

Secondly, why isn’t our local government using the same cost saving technologies its residents are using, the same technologies that are costing us millions a year in lost income? Why is there no equivalent ( or even small) cost saving in our budgetary spending ?

Isn’t spending a part of a budget?

Does anybody want to discuss this? Maybe not.

“What I really want to discuss is the projections staff has for revenue,” Councilman Kenn Miller said. “But it does appear we’ll have a rate increase in some form.”

Its nice to hear from Councilman Miller, that this rate increase , based upon all facts and discourse, has already been decided. Lets all hope Councilman Miller wants to discuss everything in the budget–revenues and spending, because it is the responsible thing to do as public servants.

Why not have everything on the table?

Councilman Richard Furstenau believes the city can make do with a tax rate that stays put.

“We may have to cut a few things, but we’ve got some things most cities don’t even think about,” he said. “We have to learn to live within our means and we won’t have to raise the rate a nickel.”

Way to go Councilman, but you may be making even more enemies (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=68510) out there by taking such a fiscally responsible stance- be careful.

When all the good fun going through the Daily Herald article is set aside, the issues seems to be this;

• Our past council budgets sound like they had linked projections (too highly?) to the ever rising fortunes of its residents homes, and now that, is unwinding, along with the subprime bubble.
• Depending on telecom  tax revenue  is dangerously “old school”
• Shortfall money has to come from somewhere else.
• Tax rates are the easiest place to justify a hike.

Taxpayers suffer even more by having their taxes go up, while networth and incomes go down.

Why now?

Just when family pocketbooks are becoming particularly stressed during this approaching down cycle… (subprime & layoffs cause stress too ), tax rate hike becomes the way out.

Generally, there tends to be a lag behind the general national economy (the one you hear about so often on the financial/ nightly news), and the local governments, (those, we tend to read about these exclusively in the local papers). This makes sense, when business is good, it is easy to attract employees,their families, their incomes, and those properties are selling and turning over generating real estate transfer tax receipts, so far so good.

But when the triple whammy of lost income, lost net worth, and higher taxes, force more long-term stress on the local economy, tax base flight occurs. (We all know why people move here from Cook County.)

And when people start to move from Naperville, it hurts our community long term more than lost services.

A rate hike seems like a done deal.

Lets hope council explores cutting some on the spending side, at least until the subprime issue rights itself.

By then many of these issues would have been put to bed.

This from the WSJ

http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB119335472901272206.html

Marketers Use Trickery to Evade No-Call Lists

Mailings Fool Seniors Into Accepting Pitches;States Launch Charges

The technique is centered on a marketing tool called the lead card, and it became popular after the federal government created its Do Not Call Registry in 2003 to shield consumers from unwanted solicitors. Sent through the mail, the lead card invites the recipient to mail off an enclosed reply for free information about, say, estate planning.

But the cards fail to warn that by sending off replies, recipients are giving up their right to avoid telephone solicitations from the sender — even if their phone numbers are on the Do Not Call list.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has tried to get a pesky solicitor off the phone during dinner. But what is surprising is the persistence of sales people to get around the intent of the list.

“When Naomi and Horace Williams got a postcard warning that estates of older Americans could be wiped out by taxes unless they moved quickly, they believed it came from AARP, the Washington-based lobbying group for older Americans, since it said that “AARP found” probate taxes were hurting seniors.

So the Williamses filled out a reply card that promised more information and mailed it to a post-office box in Washington, D.C. Soon after came a phone call from a man saying he wanted to drop by their North Carolina home to deliver the information they’d requested. It never occurred to the Williamses — who had registered on the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call Registry — that the caller was a marketer. They assumed he was affiliated with AARP, they say.”

As it turned out, the actual sender of the card had been America’s Recommended Mailers Inc., a company housed in a Lewisville, Texas, strip mall that provides leads to insurance agents nationwide.

Soon after they mailed the reply, a living-trust marketer, and then an insurance agent, showed up at the couple’s Morganton, N.C., home, Mr. Williams said in an affidavit filed in state Superior Court in Raleigh. Mr. Williams, an 83-year-old retired factory worker, says the agent talked him into transferring much of the couple’s $179,000 nest egg into annuities that barred them from tapping the bulk of their money, unless they paid high penalties, until Mr. Williams was nearly 90.

The commission on such products is typically 9.5%.

Ouch!- That product might not be “suitable” & could create some problems for Mr Williams lifestyle.

More importantly, the regulators have rules in place to counter such fraudulent activities and protect investors, and their  remedies usually are “consumer friendly”

The marketer and the insurance agent worked for American Family Prepaid Legal Corp., an Irvine, Calif., living-trust provider, and its related insurance marketing company, which filed an affidavit generally denying wrongdoing as well as an affidavit from the living-trust salesman denying the Williamses’ claim.

The agent received his lead from the postcard reply, according to North Carolina court filings. Meanwhile, the Texas attorney general is suing America’s Recommended Mailers for alleged misrepresentations in its pitches. The company disputes the allegation, saying it merely quoted AARP.

Nonetheless, it says it is revising its cards. After hiring a lawyer and complaining, the Williams obtained the return of their nest egg.

Thankfully.

This and other cases of fraud are as old as mankind.

The common sense case is simple: Be proactive with your own finances, estate, insurance, any family issues… and hire trusted advisers yourself, on your own terms.

If someone is coming to you, out of the blue, stating they can solve any of your issues -esp., those relating to anything dealing with money, stop…it might even sound interesting, just stop!

See this as a warning sign, that you may not have done enough homework for yourself, relating to the solution being suggested.

Get informed on your terms, with trusted advisors recommended by people you trust. Even then, educate yourself on the basics of the issue. ( trust,estate,probate,investing,insurance) etc.

Seek out your own trusted advice, before an adviser seeks out you.

Well, its (not) official.

School district 204’s cat and mouse game, to buy a cherished piece of real estate for a brand new high school, played out last night, after a special session headed by board president Mark Metzger.

“”The board has explored what options exist to build Metea Valley at the Brach-Brodie site and given the growth in material costs and anticipated labor cost increases, the only options for the building on Brach-Brodie within available proceeds involve substantial reductions in the building such as eliminating the pool or athletic facilities,” Metzger said. “We believe the community expects Metea to be a full featured facility making those options unacceptable.

A jury previously sided with the owners of the Brach-Brodie site and offered the land to 204 for $518,000 an acre.

“We have therefore concluded we cannot and will not buy the 55 acres for the jury’s price,” Metzger said Thursday following a special board meeting.

So what happened here?

My guess is that someone, or some collective group of people, presumably associated with school board 204, and all acting with limited information,( grade population growth, questionable projections);

1. hyped up the basic need case for a high school in the first place, ( vote for me !) while,
2. to support their belief, hired and paid lawyers, consultants and advisers, ( who all need to eat), and
3. sold the idea to taxpayers (twice) from a fear-based perspective. “overcrowding, bad learning environments, doom, gloom”
4. repeated the mantra, “For the kids, remember the kids!” over and over, until memories of the world before child labor laws were enacted,which overcame the audience.

A fear-based approach is never a good model to build a new investment around, especially when so much money is at stake. And the economics should match your original proposal for such an ambitious spend, right?

But here, the folks in charge of the spending, just keep on spending - presumably to help us get over our fears.

“School Board 204 filed a post-trial motion Thursday in DuPage County asking for a new trial in the condemnation case. “- Naperville Sun

Now our elected officials are using the cheap and cost effective court system, to right the evils of wrong judgments and win over the evil capitalist real estate trusts. Again, presumably for the Kids.

Metzger said the post-trial motion is based on several things, including evidence the judge let into trial, witnesses and instructions given to the jury. The Brach-Brodie attorneys will have time to respond to the motion and Metzger said it could be several months before it is all sorted out.

Sounds like somebody feels an injustice has been done, and its gonna take a long time to figure out a way to work the system again.

TAXPAYER BEWARE!

The first time this new high school bond came up, it was voted down.

Then, as the board did not agree with the general population, a new group started a campaign to right the wrong!( for the kids) -to get the badly needed new and glorious school.

Armed with enough legal paperwork and feasibility study materials to actually build the new high school foundation, the board made a new and improved case, targeting the (wink) key voter subsets and divisions, held another vote and magically, this time, it passed.

“Our staff looked into what possibilities we had and what happens if we purchased 55 acres on Brach-Brodie to have the building come within available proceeds,” Metzger said. “To make that number happen was much, much, much bigger than any of us anticipated.”

Was “much,much,much bigger” in the proposal to taxpayers?

Did it occur to anyone that if you were going to go to the taxpayer for such a large sum ( or any sum), that perhaps someone had better have a good estimate on the financing to build out ?

Are 204 taxpayers that easily sold by emotional sale jobs and slight of spreadsheet? Are checkbooks always open ?

Where is the fiscal accountability ?

A new High School may, or may not, be the right thing for 204.

But the curse of the case for building this new High School, under the original plan, is an old one, and for some strange and obscure reasons, its time has come and gone.

Move on 204, move on.

The Board should cut their losses, while they still can, to retain minimal credibility on this, and someone should be questioned as to the boards internal business process for proposing a tax increase in the first place on such faulty forecasting.

As the 204 board is to be a trusted guardian for education tax receipts ( tax payer money) and, ultimately for our kids education, its getting a little scary.

http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/newsblog/2007/10/dist_204_back_at_square_one.html