Thursday, April 05, 2007
Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority Proponents Enter the County Lions Den
Kevin Craver has been doing some really good reporting on the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority referendum.
He got A-LAW (Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water) member to admit that protracted legal proceeding—costing more than $50,000--had drained the supporters resources.
What the NW Herald did not report, but that I found interesting, is that those legal fees would be reimbursed from tax dollars if the water authority is created. McHenry County Board member Tina Hill filled me in on that at Wednesday's Crystal Lake Kiwanis meeting at Crystal Lake's Colonial Cafe.
And, he must have attended the best show in town when A-LAW member Patricia Kennedy made a pitch for support to the McHenry County Board.
Now, think of what pictures of faces one might have been able to get of those members who clearly want the power to control the county’s water resources themselves.
McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler put it this way:
Of course, in both instances, a subsequent referendum could make such water authority trustees elective.
While the referendum question asks for 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, A-LAW has said that with the addition of DeKalb and Sycamore to the district, that 2 cents should be sufficient.
Craver checked the campaign disclosure reports and found that in addition to the $25,000 ponyed up by the state association of Realtors, gravel pit company Vulcan Materials has now donated $5,000 to the Citizens Against Water Authority PAC.
Joe Wiegand’s group--Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois--got
Proponents of the new form of government call themselves Citz for the Formation of the Kishwaukee Water Authority. (The word “Citizens” is abbreviated in the State Board of Elections web site, making it a bit hard to find.)
Although one can’t find it on the Board of Elections’ web site, here are the donations reported so far:
He got A-LAW (Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water) member to admit that protracted legal proceeding—costing more than $50,000--had drained the supporters resources.
What the NW Herald did not report, but that I found interesting, is that those legal fees would be reimbursed from tax dollars if the water authority is created. McHenry County Board member Tina Hill filled me in on that at Wednesday's Crystal Lake Kiwanis meeting at Crystal Lake's Colonial Cafe.
And, he must have attended the best show in town when A-LAW member Patricia Kennedy made a pitch for support to the McHenry County Board.
Now, think of what pictures of faces one might have been able to get of those members who clearly want the power to control the county’s water resources themselves.
McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler put it this way:
Instead of the McHenry County Board's being able to appoint one out of three water authority board members in the three-county district, the McHenry County Board would be able to appoint all three board members in a single-county water authority.I haven’t changed my opinion. A water authority is probably something that will be needed on a countywide basis, not by a small group of people who have decided to segregate the rest of the county out.
Of course, in both instances, a subsequent referendum could make such water authority trustees elective.
While the referendum question asks for 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, A-LAW has said that with the addition of DeKalb and Sycamore to the district, that 2 cents should be sufficient.
Craver checked the campaign disclosure reports and found that in addition to the $25,000 ponyed up by the state association of Realtors, gravel pit company Vulcan Materials has now donated $5,000 to the Citizens Against Water Authority PAC.
Joe Wiegand’s group--Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois--got
- $1,000 from Rockford-based Investment Resources Corp,
- $1,000 from Grand Pointe Homes in West Dundee,
- $500 from John Schultz of River Road in Marengo and
- $260.73 from Wiegand himself.
Proponents of the new form of government call themselves Citz for the Formation of the Kishwaukee Water Authority. (The word “Citizens” is abbreviated in the State Board of Elections web site, making it a bit hard to find.)
Although one can’t find it on the Board of Elections’ web site, here are the donations reported so far:
- $797.16 from Printing…& Then Some of Woodstock
- $641.50 from Ersel Schuster/Printing…& Then Some of Woodstock
- $500 from Betty and John Sterling of Woodstock
- $500 from Bob and Carol Kelly of Bull Valley
Labels: A-LAW, Citizens for the Formation of the Kishwaukee Water Authority, Ken Koehler, Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois
