McHenry County Blog

I’ve attended both Crystal Lake’s and Cary’s “Joint Review Board” meetings and are they different!

In Crystal Lake, only the staffer in charge and a note taker attended.

No Mayor Aaron Shepley.

No city manager.

The meeting is a meeting mandated by state law which gives a tiny bit of input and influence to the non-municipal tax districts (including schools)

Cary’s meeting, on the other hand, was run by Village President Steve Lamal (who, for some reason, calls himself “Mayor” on the village web site) with village administrator Cameron Davis sitting to his right.

At Crystal Lake’s meeting, only School Districts 47 and 155, plus the Crystal Lake Park District, joined the city representative.

In Cary, representatives present were from

Village of Cary,
McHenry County,
McHenry County College,
McHenry County Conservation District,
Cary Library District,
Cary Fire Protection District,
School Districts 26 &
School District 155.

Only Algonquin Township taxpayers had no representation.

Maybe Cary village officials learned a lesson from Crystal Lake’s being outvoted on the Vulcan Lakes Tax Increment Financing District. With the two school districts voting to disapprove the project and the park district abstaining for lack of direction, the city lost its Joint Review Board vote 2-1.

Maybe enough minor tax districts have already agreed to vote with Village President Lamar to ensure that he is not similarly embarrassed.

I noticed one other difference. A representative of the public was elected to sit on the board.

That election provided the only real controversy in the meeting. Lamar nominated his choice, whom I’m told does not live in the TIF district. His candidate beat the one nominated by Cary Grade School member Chris Jenner.

It was obvious at the meeting that state law has bought off local library districts.

And, since then, the park district has taken a dive.

So, that gives the village president 3 votes.

The Joint Review Board cannot turn down the TIF project, it can just require an extraordinary vote on the village board. Since votes so far have been 5-1ish, a rejection by the JRB would have more publicity value than real significance…without ground troops to spread the word, as happened in Crystal Lake.

If the two school district vote, “No,” and all the other tax districts just abstain, it’s off to the bond house or bank to borrow the money to begin buying and tearing down the current buildings, including one of Cary’s earlier village halls—the building at the corner.

That’s assuming that the village board is willing to use the condemnation powers that go along with a TIF district.

The next meeting is coming up August 8th, inconveniently scheduled at 3 PM at the village hall.