Category Archives: News

It’s Monday, October 7 –Let’s Have a Good Week – Fall Is in The Air This Morning!

Thought for the Day – When you apply for ObamaCare, they ask you if you smoke since smokers will pay a higher premium. You are allowed 4 cigarettes a week or if you smoke for religious or ceremonial purposes unlimited cigarettes – I bet a lot of smokers will be getting religion now! In fact maybe Obama should think about passing the peace pipe!

Freeport City Council Meeting Tonight, October 7

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. Hopefully, there will be sound for those watching on Comcast. At the September 16 meeting there was no sound. See complete agenda at

Click to access A20131007a.pdf

Somethings of interest on the agenda:

Memorandum from Special Committee of the Freeport City Council recommending purchase of iPads for all council memebers. See Good Day Illinois on September 23, 2013 for comment on iPads! How can members of this council operate iPads when they cannot even get sound for the council meetings?

2nd reading of ordinance dealing with such things parking lot screening, lighting, and parking stall size requirements. On September 16 it was said in Good Day Illinois:

” 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.”

1st reading of ordinance extending to November 5 the time to change portion of Chicago Avenue around the post office to a two way street. Horrible allocation of time and resources. Let’s spend hours on this street and neglect the many other streets which are falling a part and are dangerous!

1st reading of ordinance increasing penalty for violation of Noice Ordinance. This will do a lot of good! What are they going to do – post the fine on every corner in this community! It is nice that our police chief is so concerned about noise – but his priorities are certainly not in order of importance. What are the priorities in this city? Enough said.

Memorandum recommending approval of grants from Downtown TIF Fund for exterior improvments on downtown buildings. Grants total $31,146. The list of grants is worth looking at. It would be nice if the rest of the taxpayers in this city could get grants to help pay for roofs on their homes or small businesses located elsewhere in the city! Remember for every TIF in Freeport it means that the rest of the taxpayers in this city must pay more in taxes to subsidize some of the businesses in the TIF. Of course, we all know that Wal*Mart needs your help!
See list at http://www.cityoffreeport.org/OrdRes/TIF%20GRANT_20131003.pdf

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Illinois Tollway Rockford to Elgin Being Rebuilt to Three Lanes – Driving Nightmare!

Illinois is rebuilding the tollway (I-90) between Rockford and Elgin, but that does not stop them from charging tolls. If you have driven on the Tollway recently, you know that it is slow going, congested, and dangerous. The speed limit is 45 MPH all of the way from Rockford to Elgin. If there is an accident, you could be delayed for hours and miss your plane if you are going to O’Hare. Consider, an alternate route bypassing the Tollway and rejoining it at Elgin around Randall Road where the construction ends!

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And Mayor Gitz Said Let There Be Sound – and There Was Still No Sound!

As reported on Good Day Illinois, there was no sound at the Freeport City Council meeting on September 16 for those who were attempting to watch it on Comcast Channel 17. These meetings are rebroadcast on the following Monday at 6:00 pm for those who miss them. If you watched the rebroadcast on September 23, there was sound! At the beginning of the meeting, Alderman Koester’s wife called him advising him there was no sound for those watching the meeting on Channel 17. This was brought to the attention of Mayor Gitz who ignored the remark doing nothing. If you watched the meeting, it was obvious why he does not want sound!
Will this be a repeat of the last eight years when people complained and nothing was done?

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Case of the Week – Sad But True Story – Overstuffed Grocery Bag Breaks, Can Falls on Toe, Breaks and Cuts Toe, Toe Becomes Infected, and Person Dies

A lawsuit filed by a Nebraska man claims his wife would still be alive if a Wal-Mart employee had not overstuffed her grocery bag. The suit says the grocery bag broke as his wife was walking to the car. The groceries fell on her toe, breaking it and causing a deep cut. The cut led to an infection, which spread throughout her body and caused her death, the suit claims. The suit also targeted the maker and distributor of the plastic bags. It claims Wal-Mart was negligent in the training of employees who bag groceries, and that the defendants provided a defective grocery bag. For details see an article in the Lincoln Journal Star.

Which School Would You Rather Attend? Or Who Hates the Badgers!

An article in the Huff Post on the 17 colleges with the best professors rates the University of Wisconsin-Madison number five. In the article there are pictures of each of the 17 campuses. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. In this article it shows four students during a snow storm. Other pictures such as that of Vanderbilt shown here depict other campuses in a favorable light. A good example of fair and balanced reporting!

Go BADGERS!!!
For the article go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/colleges-best-professors-2013_n_3941129.html?utm_hp_ref=college

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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!

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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Hope You Read Lips If You Want to Watch Freeport City Council Meeting on Comcast Channel 17!

No sound for council meeting on September 16! Read Good Day Illinois for August 27 for a review of Gitz and his first 90 days.

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Freeport City Council Meeting Tonight, September 16

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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Packer Fans in Freeport Enjoy the Game Today – If You Have Comcast Forget Watching the Packers After October 16

When the Packers and Bears play at the same time on FOX, you will not be able to watch the Packer game on the FOX Channel (WMSN) in Madison. The FOX Channel in Madison will be dropped by Comcast in Freeport as of October 16. Good bye Packers – Bear fans win again! Freeport loses again.

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New Freeport Water Tower Looks Like Hell Says Prominent Freeporter!

A long time, prominent resident of Freeport and graduate of Freeport High School when asked to comment on the new Burchard Street Water Tower said:

“Where is the Pretzel? Even the script on the tower for “City of Freeport” looks horrible. Who was the decision maker on this one? The script for “City of Freeport” conveys weakness instead of the boldness of a progressive and forward looking city.”

This is the opinion of one person – you look at it and decide! No matter what the damage is done!

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