Category Archives: Business

Freeport City Council Members Want iPads – Not Solution to the Basic Problems with this Council

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iPads in principal are a good idea, but they will not help solve the basic issues before this Council. The majority of council members are either incapable or do not care about taking the time to address the issues facing the City of Freeport. Whether proposed ordinances and other issues to be addressed are on paper or on an iPad, it makes no difference if they cannot or do not read them. On balance it should save money since paper is expensive. Of course, the City will probably hire consultants to teach them how to use the iPads and that will cost the City a few thousand dollars! Then some members will still not be able to use them, and the City can send them to remedial courses at iPad University.

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Attention Freeport Residents – If Your Real Estate Taxes Are Too High Because Your Property Is Valued Higher Than Its Market Value – You Must Act Now – If your Property Assessment Is Too Low, You Do Not Live in Freeport!

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If you live in Freeport, you must file your appeal with the Board of Review by October 11, 2013. For many in Freeport, property values have fallen and assessments have not been lowered. You will not receive a notice unless your assessment has been changed. Watch out! Most assessments have not been lowered over the last few years while property values have plummeted.

Residential Complaint forms available at http://co.stephenson.il.us/assessor/forms/BOR-R-1.pdf

The bureaucrats in Illinois do not make it easy to complain about your taxes. It is a time consuming process and the Freeport Assessor will fight you every step of the way.
The picture is the new Freeport Township Offices which now is the subject of litigation at taxpayer expense. Wow that takes a lot of nerve. Buy a building and then litigate whether they had the authority to purchase it!

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Freeport City Council Meeting Tonight, September 16

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6:00 pm at City Council Chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor
If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live. See complete agenda at http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20130916.pdf

Somethings of interest on the agenda:

Appointment of Jon Staben (remember he ran against Gitz for Mayor) to Planning Commission – that’s one one way to get rid of the opposition!

Shelly Griswold, Community Development Director, will present a an interesting report on the status of Tutty’s Crossing and Jane Addams Trail.

Business Owners – Watch Out – Someone Wants You Out of Business or Just Another Reason Not to Do Business in Freeport

There will be 1st Reading of an Ordiance on Landscaping and Screenings. Every business owner should read this one carefully. It certainly could be construed as anti-small business. For example, the following provision on lighting:

“A lighting plan shall be required any time exterior lighting is proposed or modified and shall be submitted along with the site plan information to the City Engineer for approval. The lighting plan shall include a site plan indicating: the location, height, type, design, orientation, anchorage, and wattage of all proposed light fixtures; a photometric plan prepared by a lighting professional showing spot illumination levels at regularly spaced intervals on the lot and at all lot lines and average proposed illumination levels on the site; a summary table containing average foot-candles, minimum foot-candles, maximum foot-candles, uniformity ratio (average/minimum), and catalog cuts of the proposed fixtures.”

Don’t build or modify a building in Freeport with a few parking spaces since you will have to spend thousands of dollars on a photometric plan prepared by a lighting professional. This is just a small part of this proposed ordinance. The Gitz administration says it is for economic development, but actions speak louder that words.

Read complete proposed ordinance at http://www.cityoffreeport.org/OrdRes/1272%20LANDSCAPING%20AND%20SCREENING%209.11.13.pdf

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Have Comcast You Will Travel!

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Comcast, the cable, giant used to have an office in Freeport. In fact the requirement to maintain a local office was part of its franchise agreement with the City of Freeport. When your equipment such as your remote or cable box failed, you would take it to the local office in Freeport for replacement. Comcast decided that it did not want to have an office in Freeport, and closed it. The former mayor of Freeport, George Gaulrapp, went to court to try to make them stay and honor the franchise agreement. Of course, he hired outside counsel to handle the matter. You know the result. There is still no office in Freeport. Gaulrapp was no match for Comcast. So sad that the citizens of this community who pay high fees to Comcast each month have no local office. Enjoy your trip to Rockford!

Hope You Are Having a Wonderful Labor Day Weekend, But Don’t Forget the Second Installment of 2012 Real Estate Taxes Are Due Soon – Forget and It Will be Costly!

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Second installments due as follows:

Carroll County – September 5

Jo Daviess County – September 9

Ogle County – September 6

Stephenson County – September 6

Winnebago County – September 6

If you are late, there will be an interest charge of 1.5 % per month which is an interest rate of 18% per annum. Sounds like usury to me! Of course, government is not subject to the rules the rest of us must follow.

2013 Farm Progress Show August 27 – 29 in Decatur, Illinois

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See the world’s first 30-row corn head and some of the latest technology in farming such as crop scouting drones. For more details go to http://farmprogressshow.com/main.aspx

Mark your calendars for the 2014 show which will be in Boone, Iowa August 26 – 28. The show is always Tuesday through Thursday during the week just before the Labor Day holiday weekend and alternates between Decatur, Illinois and Boone, Iowa.

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Attention Small Business Owners – Your Electric Rates Could Be Going Up!

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If you presently use FirstEnergy Solutions as your supplier, you probably received a letter stating the new rate beginning when your one year contract expires. Look at the rate and compare to your present rate. In reviewing one such letter the increase was over 30%. Do not ignore this letter since there is only a short time to terminate FirstEnergy Solutions as your supplier, and to obtain a new one. This does not apply to residential users since most municipalities (such as the City of Freeport) have negotiated separately on residential rates. If you use a different supplier, be sure to read any correspondence on renewal rates. One letter from FirstEnergy Solutions had the following penalty clause:

You will not incur any termination fee if you tell FirstEnergy Solutions you do not want to renew prior to your September 2013 meter read date. Termination of the agreement after that time will result in a cancellation fee of $1,000 for each account between 15,001 kWh to 100,000 kWh annually, $3,000 for each account using between 100,001 kWh to 400,000 kWh annually, and $5,000 for each account using more than 400,000 kWh annually.

Wow – what a penalty for not reading a letter and then trying to change your electric supplier!

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