McHenry County Blog

At the Belvidere rest stop on the Illinois Tollway, I found this urinal.

The urinal wasn’t of interest, except its being closed did cause longer waits on the 4th of July. The place was packed.

What caught my attention was the sign sitting inside the urinal:


Considering that the floors under most urinals are wet, I wondered why the sign was only posted in one.

Labels: Belvidere, Illinois Tollway, Message of the Day, Rest Stop, Sign, Urinals

As reported Monday, the Belvidere School Board has figured out a way to save sports and extracurricular activities after pledging to kill them, if their spring referendum failed.

As reporter Jeff Kolkey put it,

If this were a game of chicken, Belvidere School Board members blinked first Monday night, possibly trading the long-term financial health of the school system for the good of the community.

How did they justify their 5-1 vote sitting before 650 (!!) residents?

They will spend down their surplus and counting on more, but not a lot more, State Aid to Education.

Here's how the Rockford Register-Star reporter summed up what will happen:

Without an increase in local property taxes or significant increases in general state aid, the district will be borrowing money to meet payroll in about four years. With no tax increase and only conservative increases in state aid, the district’s $14.5 million education fund balance will turn into a more than $5 million accumulated deficit by 2012.

But just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, they’ll be back in February, the lowest turnout election in the two-year cycle.

Board member Dick Van Evera charged the audience thusly:

“This group has a responsibility and obligation to make sure the next referendum is a success — an overwhelming success.ra told the crowd. I charge all of you with this responsibility.”

Elections are about differential turnout and the tax hike folks apparently think they are better organized than their opponents.

And, they’re probably right.

Labels: Belvidere, Belvidere School District, Dick Van Evera, Extracurricular Activities, Sports

It is no surprised when school boards threaten to kill sports and extracurricular activities if their voters don’t pass tax rate hikes.

If it less common for school officials to be proven to have enough money to avoid doing that before the election.

That happened at the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Rotary Club meeting a little over a year ago when Huntley School Board Member Larry Snow pointed out and District 300 Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates admitted that she had underestimated State Aid to Education. The same admission was made at a later school board meeting.

The amount?

More than enough to save sports and extracurricular activities.

The Northwest Herald even ran a chart on it front page before the referendum.

Nevertheless, the District 300 tax hike committee—Advance 300--and the district continued the ruse that sports and extra curricular activities would disappear, if the referendum did not pass.

The same strategy was used in Boone County’s biggest school district, Belvidere.

Saturday, Kevin Haas wrote a story for the Rockford Register-Star about how Belvidere School Superintendent Don Scholmann had—ready for this—found enough money to keep sports and extracurricular activities intact for the next two years.

Want to guess where he is finding the money?

Go on. Guess.

Sounding a lot like President Richard M. Nixon when he ran for president the second time, Superintendent Schlomann has a secret plan.

He’ll announce it Monday at the school board meeting.

But, it’s going to postpone the end of sports and extracurricular activities for two years.

And, surprise, surprise, it will depend on how much state aid to education shows up after this legislative session.

Or, maybe it will be a combination of that and drawing down the reserves that Rockford reporter Jeff Jolkey has found.

Catch this sentence:

Without a tax increase and without a budget cut, the district could run its new high school until 2012.

Too bad opponents of the Belvidere tax rate hike didn’t ask Larry Snow to take a look at the books and offer his analysis.

The truth about whether there would be enough money for extracurricular activities and sports might have been knowable before the referendum.

The story says the district only estimated $150 more per student but what’s being discussed is more than that.

District 300 estimated less than that for referendum propaganda purposes--$100.

And here’s the Belvidere superintendent’s explanation to reporter Kevin Haas:

If the Board of Education would have knowledge of what the state aid was going to be, they may not have run a referendum. But at the same time we still don’t know what that state aid is going to be. And we won’t know until July.

Excuse me, if I smell something I wouldn’t keep in the house.

The Rockford paper endorsed the referendum.

This was part of the editorial:

If it fails, sports and extracurriculars will go, at least for a year. Simple.

And here’s part of what one person wrote after reading that, low and behold, sports and extracurriculars might not die:

… the school system lies....I can tell you, Belvidere will never get another vote out of me, ever….

And, here’s another comment from an “No” voter:

Now their bluff has been called, and they have been shown up. So now Belvidere most likely will get to keep sports, and the new high school will be staffed, WITHOUT a tax increase.

They simply sat down, decided that they didn't want to take pay cuts, and used the kids as pawns. Now the kids should be upset with the BOE for using them in their little game, instead of the voters that voted NO.

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The homemade square yellow sign saying "BUCS BOOSTER" in a half circle on the top and "SUPPORT ATHLETICS" in a half circle on the bottom with "VOTE YES" in the middle was in front of a home with a "NO CHEMTOOL" sign in Garden Prairie.

The other pictures of signs were taken last fall before the November referendum. I didn't see any of them this time around, but I'll bet some were re-cycled.

Click on the text of the referendum question and see if you can understand it.

Labels: Belvidere, District 300, Extracurricular Activities, Larry Snow, Sports, State Aid to Education

The Union Pacific freight train that was roaring through Marengo with horns blasting a little after noon Saturday was not a precursor of Amtrak service to McHenry County.

That was made abundantly clear at a Rockford College presentation Saturday morning.

The once-a-day round trip Amtrak engines and coaches are on the track from Chicago to Rockford and Dubuque though.

They’re picking up speed, but not through McHenry County.

There was a clue late last week when U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s press release announcing Saturday’s meeting did not even mention McHenry County.

McHenry County officials from Huntley and Marengo attended anyway.

Under the aegis of Durbin and Congressman Don Manzullo, Amtrak officials presented the results of a study stimulated by a meeting last July.

There were three alternative routes, but the old Blackhawk route to Dubuque is the one that is so, so most likely to be selected.

Its major problem is “some congestion issues around Chicago,” where there is a need for “additional capacity.” The cost would be about $23 million for what the Amtrak chart calls the “direct route” with estimated annual ridership of 113,300 passengers.

The “Belvidere” route, which would go through Huntley and Marengo, has “no connection between Metra and Union Pacific in Elgin” and would need “a connector in Rockford.” The cost would be $32 million and the number of passengers 62,200.

Part of the route through the Rockford Airport is so bad that it would require “a complete rebuilding” and the “East is quite poor,” Franke said. The cost would be $55-62 million with 51,200.

The old Blackhawk route is the cheapest and Durbin, Manzullo and Acting Illinois Department of Transportation Director Milt Sees want action now. A cursory glance shows construction cost of $200 per annual passenger, while the Belvidere route is in the neighborhood of $513 and the airport route $1,100-1,200.

On capital cost, then, there is no question that the “direct route” is cheapest.

It wins on annual operating cost, too. The Belvidere route is 1.2 times as expensive, while the airport route is 1.24 times higher.

In absolute dollars of annual subsidy, however, the difference between the three is only $600,000.

The congress folks and IDOT want action so “now” that the public hearing will be on Monday, April 16th!

That’s two weeks from now.

And, disagreement is likely to kill the possibilities.

As Sees put it,

I, too, have been in this racket for a long time. The only way for people to get their projects is to agree.

Anytime you get into a protracted debate, you lose time and time increases money.

The window of opportunity can close on you very rapidly.

You have to help them help you,

Sees said, indicating the two congressmen.

Rockford Mayor Larry Morrisey, whose city wins regardless of which route is selected, said, “We don’t want to be fighting against ourselves. We look forward to rail coming to our communities.”

After Amtrak’s Mike Franke indicated service could be started as soon as two years from now, assuming negotiations with the railroad go well, Drubin said, “I’d sure hate to waste this construction season.”

Durbin called for “a spirit of cooperation,” for "not letting the best become the enemy of the good."

Other problems include the need for train stations.

“It’s going to be up to the locals to build the stations,” Franke said. “Five or six stations make sense.”

“Don’t come to us for earmarks for stations,” Manzullo warned.

There would be “no food service” and “the supply of Amtrak rolling stock is extremely tight.”

If Amtrak is to supply them, they will “have to be taken out of storage and rehabbed.”

Only one ordinary citizen was allowed to speak.

Janet Fisher, describing herself as “The Crazy Train Lady,” said, “I’m just thrilled with all of this. If we get something in place, it will blossom and grow.”

Manzullo wanted to know if the train could be used for commuting from Rockford to Chicago. He was told that the trip would take an hour and 45 minutes, leaving Rockford early enough for commuters and leaving Chicago at 6:15 in the evening for the return trip.

Manzullo made a point of stating,

There is not one passenger train that operates (without a subsidy).

Two of the people allowed to speak were state representatives.

Republican State Representative Dave Winters asked whether this effort could be part of the effort to extend Amtrak service to Minneapolis.

He got a “No” for an answer.

At one point, when Durbin was pointing out that it would take state legislation to change the "footprint" of Metra, Winters indicated that "very informal" talks were taking place that would apparently give the Rockford Airport Authority the power to deal with trains.

It is my impression that the Rockford Airport Authority has significant non-referendum bonding authority. Maybe local influentials intend to use that power to get money to pay for local Amtrak track repairs.

Rockford Democratic Party State Representative Chuck Jefferson was the final speaker. He was effusive in his praise of Durbin.

Also introduced was Boone County’s Republican State Rep. Ron Wait.

Attending from McHenry County were Huntley Village President Chuck Sass and Village Manager Carl Tomaso, plus Marengo Mayor Don Lockhart and City Administrator Scott Hartman.

None got an opportunity to speak at the forum.

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The Union Pacific train was on the track speeding through Marengo right after noon.

Next can be seen the three routes being considered and the table showing the cost figures for each route.

Acting IDOT Secretary Milt Sees is below on the right.

Rockford Mayor Larry Morrisey is down to the left with Senator Dick Durbin's picture to his right.

Underneath is a photography of Congressman Don Manzullo.

Below her is "Crazy Train Lady" Janet Fisher.

The three state legislators attending come next. On top, at the left, is Dave Winters. Below him is Chuck Jefferson. To Jefferson's right is Ron Wait.

Beneath the photo credit line are pictures of Huntley Village President Chuck Sass and his Village Manager Carl Tomaso leaving the meeting.

Next is a "before meeting" shot of Belvidere Mayor Fred Brereton and Marengo Mayor Don Lockhart. Brereton got to speak, as did Boone County Board Vice Chairman David Taylor and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen. Christiansen is seen to the left.

Labels: Amtrak, Belvidere, Chuck Jefferson, Dave Winters, Dick Durbin, Don Manzullo, Huntley, IDOT, Janet Fisher, Larry Morrisey, Marengo, Mike Franke, Milt Sees, Rockford, Ron Wait

I can’t remember much about Adlai Stevenson, the 3rd.

After winning a state rep. seat in the 1964 bed sheet ballot, he was elected State Treasurer two years later, the same year that I was elected McHenry County Treasurer (despite my pitching Republican Harris Rowe in my fall pamphlet).

When he was talking about using state deposits to encourage loans for certain purposes, I remember visiting with him in his office. I suggested linking state money to Small Business Administration loans, having had that agency’s budget as my responsibility while I was a Budget Examiner in the U.S. Bureau of the Budget in 1965-66.

(When the tornado hit Belvidere, I offered to deposit some of the illegal surplus the McHenry County Board was accumulating to build the new courthouse in the towns banks, but apparently they were flush enough not to need it.)

But, back to Stevenson. I remember being disappointed enough with his service in the U.S. Senate to announce I was going to run against him. And actually doing some campaigning as far south as Lawrence County, hosted by State Rep. Roscoe Cunningham. (I wish I still had the welcoming poster. It had a characterature of me that actually looked like me.)

One thing that did impress me about Stevenson’s service was his suggestion—enacted into law—that the country have daylight savings time all year round.

That was during the energy crisis.

I wish we still had it.

But starting daylight savings time March 11th, as we do this year, is better than waiting until several weeks later. Last year the switch was made April 2nd, three weeks later.

Next fall daylight savings time will be pushed into November.

That will give trick or treaters more daylight time to gather goodies.

Unfortunately, it is not extended far enough into November to cover election day.

So, I lift a thank you toast to Adlai Stevenson, III, a man ahead of his time…at least as far as time goes.

Labels: Adlai Stevenson III, Belvidere, Daylight savings time, Roscoe Cunningham, Small Business Administration, U.S. Bureau of the Budget