McHenry County Blog

Since I don't live in the area that voted on the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority I didn't get any of the opposition's mailings.

I heard about one from Joe Wiegand's Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois and asked for a copy.

On the outside is the corn crib with the "NO WATER AUTHORITY" sign painted on its side. I've run that picture on McHenry County Blog. The text under the sign is

Most farmers agree,
bad deals come in a hurry.

Maybe that's an old agricultural saying, but I've never heard it before. There are a couple replications of his groups blue and white signs, too.

Inside this 4-page mailing are the


I hope I can give you an idea of the effect of the different sizes of type.

Then, there's what I assume is the same list of reasons that Wiegand handed out when he held his first round of press conferences.

Inside the message runs across two pages:


The 2-page spread has six maps.

With two of the maps one can look at aquifer lines for the Kishwaukee Valley with the boundaries of the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority proposed by A-LAW, the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water. The Authority boundaries run primarily along straight township lines (see map on the lower right), while, of course, the underground water supplies in the aqufer (see map with blue to the other's left) do not.

It argues with regional planning.

I would note that in the late 1960's I attended a Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission hearing at Woodstock's Opera House. That hearing lead to the finger plan of developing the six-county area.

Guess what?

If this plan to have growth follow the railroads out of Chicago had any effect, I can't imagine what that effect was.

So, please excuse me if I think public officials whose elections are largely financed by developers will act in my lifetime to manage out underground water resources.

The Illinois Economic & Fiscal Commission wrote a report on water resource management in the 1970's and recommended state legislation.

None passed.

Labels: A-LAW, Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water, Joe Wiegand, T.A.N.I., Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois

Joe Wiegand of the Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois, the group opposing A-LAW's efforts to create a Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority, came to the McHenry County Courthouse to unleash the "Top Ten Reasons to Vote No" when election day roles around.

Although I couldn't make the press conference, I did obtain a copy of the reasons. It appears below:

TOP TEN REASONS TO VOTE NO ON APRIL 17 ON THE NON-ELECTED AUTHORITY!*

1) The AUTHORITY is a NON-ELECTED, three member body.

2) The AUTHORITY establishes a HIGHER PROPERTY TAX rate.

3) The AUTHORITY can ISSUE BONDS for which taxpayers are liable in the amount of up to one half of one percent of the assessed value of all property in the three county district.

4) The AUTHORITY can OWN & OPERATE WELLS and SELL WATER to municipalities within or outside of the district.

5) The AUTHORITY can ZONE & LEASE SURROUNDING PROPERTY for up to 99 years.

6) The AUTHORITY can regulate or PROHIBIT FISHING, BOATING, SWIMMING or other activities.

7) The AUTHORITY can exercise POLICE POWERS & ARREST without process for the violation of any of its rules.

8) The AUTHORITY can take land by EMINENT DOMAIN.

9) The AUTHORITY can acquire by CONDEMNATION property in or out of the district.

10) The AUTHORITY allows 2 non-elected trustees outside of a county to override the representative of that county on any issue detrimental to the citizens of that county.

* Source: Special Districts (70 ILCS 3715/) Water Authorities

Boone, DeKalb & McHenry County taxpayers urge you to vote NO on Tuesday, April 17, 2007.

www.watertaxvoteno.org

Authorized by Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois (T.A.N.I.).

Labels: A-LAW, Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority, T.A.N.I., Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois