Author Archives: Good Day Illinois

Freeport City Council Meeting Monday, October 5 – 1st Reading of New Fence Ordinance

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 The Freeport City Council will be meeting on Monday, October5, 2015 at 6:00 pm at 524 W. Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor. You can watch it live on Comcast Channel 17. 
Some items of interest on the agenda:

1st reading of ordinance dealing with fence installation. Robert Frost said “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” but in Freeport it used to mean the fence must be two feet from the lot line. This was ridiculous since it deprived a property owner of two feet of his property. I guess it just reinforced the concept that lots were worthless in Freeport (except for assessment purposes), so why not give up two feet! All fences belong on the lot line. Written and recorded easements from adjoining owners should not be required, but all fences on lot lines should require a survey.

1st reading of ordinance permitting deer hunting at the Freeport Country Club with bows. What a joke. Killing a few deer with bows will not solve Freeport’s deer problem. The bow hunt at the Country Club has been done for several years, but the deer problem is just getting worse. I suggest we contact Robin Hood and his band of merry men to take out hundreds of deer in Freeport and then give them to the food pantries in the State of Illinois. That will be Freeport’s contribution to the state’s budget crisis!

For the complete meeting agenda, go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20151005a.pdf

Heather McPherson to Speak on Best Practices in Probate Law in Rockford, Illinois 

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Heather McPherson of McPherson Law Offices in Freeport, Illinois will be speaking on Best Practices in Probate Law on October 2, 2015 in Rockford, Illinois as part of a continuing legal education program for Illinois attorneys sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association. Heather is a frequent speaker throughout the State of Illinois before professional and lay groups on estate and trust related topics. Her practice is concentrated in estate planning, probate, estate and trust administration, estate and trust litigation, guardianships, elder law and nursing home planning, and agricultural real estate. She is licensed in Illinois as well as Wisconsin. 

If Non-Resident City Employees Are So Great for the City of Freeport – Let’s Publicize It!

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 I’m just glad the new Community Development can live in Orangeville Illinois, and does not have to contribute any tax money to Freeport. He can take our money up to Orangeville where they can put it to good use. As other non-resident City employees say – “I can’t afford to live in Freeport – I want my family in a safe location, and anyway the real estate taxes are just too high.” Oh, by the way, where does the Freeport Chief of Police live?

It’s Fall in Northwest Illinois and Soon The Harvest Will Begin – Let’s Exercise Care on the Roads!

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 In Northwest Illinois we always must share the roads with farm machinery, but this is particularly true during harvest season. Remember that farm machinery travels much slower than normal traffic, so be prepared to slow down to avoid crashes when you see farm equipment or when travelling in rural areas. 

CITY OF FREEPORT – YOU ARE ON NOTICE – Woodside Drive a Death Trap!

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  Woodside Drive and the adjacent streets of Woodside Kort and Woodside Circle have deteriorated to the point that they are no longer safe. Trees and weeds are growing to the edge of the road. In places there are absolutely no shoulders. In fact, in several areas there are severe drop offs from the edge of the road. In one area on one of the curves if you go off the edge of the road, you will drop several feet and then your vehicle will roll into a ravine possibly killing the occupants. Imagine driving this road in the winter! As an interim measure these streets should be posted as follows:

Local Traffic Only – No through traffic to Krape Park or Fairgrounds Road

No Joggers – absolutely unsafe for joggers due to non-existent road shoulders, and extreme curves limiting visibility. Joggers with impunity run down the middle of the road. Sometimes they run three abreast down Woodside Drive. I guess that means it is not fit to drive on, but it’s perfect for joggers. They should do their jogging in Krape Park or elsewhere, but not on Woodside Drive.  

Watch out for Deer – Herds of deer are all over the road day and night! Not only have they destroyed trees, flowers, and shrubs in the area, but are a danger to vehicles in the area. If you hit one of the deer, your vehicle will not only be seriously damaged, but you could be killed as result of the impact.  

In the winter, there should be special signs on Woodside Drive – FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES ONLY (due to limited snow removal on many occasions).

Freeport will not be able to hide behind the Tort Immunity Act if someone is injured in this area – YOU ARE ON NOTICE!

The City has no excuses – ask the Finance Director. The City has all of the money it needs to repair this street and do anything else it wants to do. As she stated on September 14, 2015, Freeport is a home rule City which means it can tax its citizens with reckless abandon. NO MORE EXCUSES FREEPORT – ASK YOUR FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR THE MONEY!

Freeport City Council Special Meeting September 14, 2015 – New Community Development Director Appointment on Agenda

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  The Freeport City Council will hold a special meeting on Monday, September 14 at 5:30 pm at 524 W. Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor. You probably can watch it live on Comcast Channel 17. 
Mayor Gitz is submitting to the Council for approval as Community Development Director, Alexander S. Mills. It appears that he presently is Village President of Orangville, Illinois, lives in that community, and works as a consulting Aborist. See LinkedIn profile. I have a feeling that Kenneth Ward who is on the Stephenson County Board is not a friend of Mr. Mills.  

See http://www.rrstar.com/article/20140516/OPINION/140519481 Mr.Mills also was critical of Robert Becker. See http://www.journalstandard.com/article/20150210/Opinion/150219905 

In any case if his appointment is ratified, Mr. Mills will have pretty big shoes to fill.

For the complete agenda for this meeting go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20150914special.pdf

 

Fall Is Here and It’s Time Again for Pretzel City Brewfest in Downtown Freeport, Illinois!

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 This is a craft beer tasting with food vendors at the corner of Douglas and Chicago (next to the post office). In addition to the beer and food, there will entertainment by Bryan Popp and Corey Jenny. For more information and tickets go to http://pretzelcitybrewfest.com/

Have A Great Labor Day Weekend – Enjoy Art In The Park on Sunday, September 6

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 From 10 to 5 pm at Krape Park, Freeport, Illinois join the Freeport Park District and the Freeport Art Museum as they welcome back the 8th annual, award winning, Art in the Park. Stroll the walks and view the fine art on display by local and regional artists. Purchase a wonderful new piece of artwork to take home with you! Listen as local performing artists take the stage throughout the day. Partake in creative hands-on activities with the kids, and celebrate with some great food. 

For details go to http://www.artintheparkfreeport.com/home-event-schedule.html

Freeport (Illinois) Township a Disaster – “Friendly Law Suit” and Purchase of 206 E. Stephenson a Financial Debacle!

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In the Journal Standard on September 1, 2013 it was reported that Attorney Michael Phillips, attorney for Freeport Township, filed a suit to determine if it was valid for Freeport Township to own a building with the Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC). He characterized it as a “Friendly” law suit. Phillips also said in the article that the Township has no intention of leaving the property. What a joke! On August 22, 2014 it was reported in the Journal Standard that Township Supervisor Patrick Sellers intends to move the Township offices which had been purchased for $366,971 in 2012 as early as January 7, 2015. On August 27, 2015 it was reported in the Journal Standard that the suit filed by Mr. Phillips would be dismissed so the building could be sold for $250,000. The Township it was reported had spent between $25,000 and $30,000 on legal fees. So much for the “friendly” law suit. A lot of questions should be asked such as why was the building purchased to begin with if there were legal issues, and of course, why are they selling it for much less than the purchase price? The answer is simple – it’s just taxpayer money. The more you waste the more you can tax. That is the bureaucrat moto. 

Good Day Illinois Reports – Go to Sausalito, California and See Freeport’s Future – Bicycles, Bicycles, and More Bicycles!

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  Ten years ago 50,000 bicyclists a year would visit Sausalito, California. Now the number is closer to 500,000. They rent the bicycles in San Francisco, bike across the Gold Gate Bridge to Sausalito, and then take the ferry back to San Francisco with their bicycles. In a few years thousands of bicyclists will be riding the Jane Addams Trail. They should stop at Freeport or end their trips in Freeport. If they want to end their trips in Freeport, there should be vans or buses to take them and their bicycles back to their starting points to the East or North of Freeport (for a fee of course). While in Freeport, they would eat and visit the quaint shops downtown. Eventually, the City could charge them fees to park their bicycles. Sales tax dollars would increase as merchants would sell more food and merchandise. Real estate tax revenue from the downtown would rise as property values increase. Hopefully, our next Community Development Director will have the foresight to recognize that Trail issues should be addressed immediately if Freeport is to benefit from the traffic. It’s just too bad there are not some shops downtown selling that medical marijuana being produced at Mill Race Crossing. Now that would be a good marketing tool!