McHenry County Blog

I guess I couldn’t find anything on the Northwest Herald’s web site about the minor league baseball stadium because nothing was there.

But, now, thanks to reporter Joe Stevenson, there is.

And, it turns out that it was the top story of Tuesday’s paper.

Somehow Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley got into the story.

Makes you wonder what else he has hidden from public view, doesn’t it?

Here’s what Shepley told the NW Herald:

My understanding is it will be a tax-neutral situation for the county. Actually, the fair statement is that it will be taxpayer- beneficial with the revenue it will bring to the county.

This could open up all kinds of new doors for us. This is not an opportunity to tax people.

Oh, really.

That reminds me of Shepley’s refusal to recognize that everyone outside of Crystal Lake’s three new Tax Increment Financing Districts will have to pay higher taxes because of the money in the TIF districts that are diverted to purposes decided by the Crystal Lake City Council.

Just making such an assertion does not make it true.

Maybe city involvement with the proposed stadium will include still another Tax Increment Financing District that will drain still more money from our schools.

With McHenry County College willing to pay $67,000 per acre for land right next to it, is a minor league baseball team owner going to pony up the money for the land?

Or will it be MCC taxpayers?

Will the minor league owner pay for the stadium?

Or will be MCC taxpayers?

MCC President Walt Packard, who might appropriately comment on the subject, because, well, it will be built on MCC property and, presumably, be paid for by MCC taxpayers, said, according to Stevenson’s article,

that he had “heard about interest” in a team.

I would hope the college president would be in the loop.

I can’t wait to read some analysis that says that a minor league team could pay for itself, though.

And by “pay for itself,” the college analysis better be including capital costs, that is, the cost to construction the stadium, including the value of the land.

But Packard’s most interesting statement was one concerning avoiding allowing the taxpayers to have a vote on the baseball stadium:

He said the college’s intention was to do it in a way that did not require a referendum,

again, according to the NW Herald article.

Isn’t that special?

Oh, I forgot.

I already used that line yesterday.

I found one final comment of interest, having helped Iris Bryan do the publicity for the 1968 referendum campaign to create the junior college district and having, in fact, been named a “Founder,” along with others who participated in the successful campaign to bring the college to Crystal Lake.

Packard said,

We’re trying to do it within our mission.

I want to hear the explanation that says a community college should subsidize a millionaire minor league baseball team owner.

Labels: Aaron Shepley, Baseball Stadium, McHenry County College, Minor League Baseball, Walt Packard