Tag Archives: city council

Freeport City Council to Meet January 19

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  The Freeport City Council will be meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 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:

Presentation on Economic Data for Northwest Illinois (wherever that is!) by NIDA Director and TCEDA Director. Just look at their titles and you know the presentation will be another bureaucratic disaster. For everyone’s information LWA 3 consists of Boone, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties. TCEDA stands for Tri-County Economic Development Alliance which consists of Jo Daviess, Carroll, and Whiteside Counties. The Rockford MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) consists of Boone and Winnebago Counties. The report starts out showing the population change in LWA 3 and then the next page shows population trends in TCEDA. This is typical of this report. I guess the NIDA director is paid by counties in TCEDA and Rockford MSA. If the report had been done with consistent comparisons and an emphasis on Stephenson County, it would have shown disastrous trends for the area which should be addressed. 

See the full report at http://www.cityoffreeport.org/OrdRes/NIDA%20TCEDA%20HCC%20presentation.pdf

Ordinance Directing Sale of vacated fire station at 1819 S West Avenue, Freeport. Before proceeding, the Freeport Assessor should give the Council an estimate as to how much the Assessor will assess the property for and how much tax revenue it will generate if it is sold. A prospective buyer would appreciate this information.

For the full agenda go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20160119.pdf

Freeport Mayor Gitz and Alderman Klemm Walk Over New Council Members – It Could Be a Long Four Years!

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 Freeport has five new council members and on Monday night they got beat down by the Mayor and Alderman Klemm.   Only Andrew Chesney understood the real issue facing the Council.    It was a question of power, and the Mayor and Klemm said to them – To Hell with you.   Klemm lectured the new alderman in condescending manner.   Basically, Klemm told them – you are stupid – you just don’t understand.   Alderman McClanathan responded and capitulated.  We need leaders and Andrew Chesney cannot do it alone.   Someone should tell Klemm that he should worry a little less about training kitchens downtown, and start addressing the deteriorating conditions in his own 1st Ward.   Oh well, I guess that is too much to expect from the man who thinks he is Mayor.

 

Where Have All The Leaves Gone? The Answer My Friend Is On My Street In Front of My House!

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The Freeport City Council Meets tonight at 6:00 pm in the rented Freeport City Council chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor. If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

Since the Council will probably spend most of the meeting discussing leaf pickup, no comments will be made as to the other items on the agenda. On a more serious note, Mayor Gitz does refer to the piles of leaves around the City as “pothole fillers.” He is quite imaginative!

You may study the full agenda at http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20141117a.pdf

Of some interest is the survey on what should be done in regard to city hall. Residents are given several options, and the responses are tabulated in this report which can be found at http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/departments/Outreach/City%20of%20Freeport%20Survey%20Report.pdf Read the report – you will have read more than most council members have read in the last year. Too bad it is not in comic book form with lots of pictures so the council could understand it.

Most Area Schools Closed Monday January 6 Due to Extremely Cold Weather Including Freeport and Rockford. First Freeport City Council Meeting for 2014 –

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It is scheduled for Monday, January 7 at 6:00 pm in City Council Chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor.
If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

One item of interest is a resolution to approve spending $32,100 for a preliminary Site Investigation for the Jane Addams Trail.

For a complete agenda go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20140106.pdf

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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Freeport City Council Meeting on Today

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Freeport City Council Meeting Tuesday, September 3, 6:00 pm
City Council Chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor
If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

Before you watch the Council Meeting, be sure to read the comments on Mayor Gitz in Good Day Illinois on August 2.

At this meeting some of the items to be discussed are

Communications to Council:

Accountant Duane Price has financial results for last 3 months of the fiscal quarter ending July 31. All taxpayers should look at this. Freeport like most cities taxes everything from electricity to your cable bill. One member of the City Council states that the City’s portion of your real estate tax bill is small. That may be true, but you couple that with all of the other taxes we pay to the city and it is NOT SMALL.
Community Development Director Shelly Griswold has a memo on the $100,000 being given to NIDA with one-half from the general fund and one-half from 3 TIF funds. Does anyone ask NIDA for a detailed accounting on how these funds will be spent? When public funds are expended, doesn’t the public have a right to know?

Second readings of 4 ordinances. One of interest deals with sprinkler systems.

First Reading of Ordinance to add Breweries as a special use to M1 Limited Manufacturing District. Sounds good – we could use a good brewery in Freeport!

On other items, reference is made to the appointment of a special committee to recommend technology and procedure for Council lap tops and tablets. Also, they want to spend $4,000 for the purchase of lap tops or tablets. Before they do this, some members of this council should learn to read first.

Watch the Reports of Department Heads – Especially the City Engineer. Remember the Council approved paying Fehr-Graham $10,000 to inspect crack sealing. I guess we will save that money since they received no bids to seal the cracks or will they pay $10,000 to tell us the cracks are not sealed! Please see the posting on July 16 in Good Day Illinois when the City Engineer discussed crack filing. Most streets in Freeport are in such bad shape that sealing cracks will do no good.

For the complete agenda go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20130903amended.pdf

Freeport City Council Meeting Tonight

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Mayor Gitz has been in office for 90 days. Let’s see what he does tonight. Will it be four more years of the same, old failed policies led by the same people appointed by his predecessor, or will we see an actual change in direction and new faces? That is the question. Good Day Illinois has given Mayor Gitz a chance – now let’s see results!

Freeport City Council Meeting Monday, August 19, 6:00 pm
City Council Chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor
If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

For a complete agenda go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/calendar.htm

Freeport City Council Meeting Tonight – See Mayor Gitz In Action!

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Freeport City Council Meeting Monday, August 5, 2013, 6:00 pm
City Council Chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor
If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

For a complete agenda go to

Click to access A20130805a.pdf

SURPRISE – THERE IS A REASON THE JOURNAL STANDARD DOES NOT REPORT ON FREEPORT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS!

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Recently, it was said that Good Morning Illinois would report on Freeport City Council meetings since the Journal Standard did not report on the meetings. There is a good reason the Journal Standard does not report on said meetings – they are not worth a reporter’s time.
Here is summary of the meeting on July 1, 2013:

Public Comments: 4 individuals spoke in support of making Chicago Avenue a two way street. Again a big issue was the placement of the mail boxes on the street.

Public Hearing on Appropriation Ordinance: Absolutely no one commented on it. No written comments and no public comments. No comments from alderman. Enough said. Everything is perfect in Freeport!

Second reading of several ordinances:

Maintaining electric rate tax – No discussion. This Council has not seen a tax it does not like.

Chicago Avenue two way street – much discussion by Council on effective date of ordinance and mail boxes on street. If only this council would spend as much time on the rest of the community considering the problems facing it. For example all of this time spent discussing Chicago Avenue when many other streets in this community are not safe to drive on due to their poor condition. ENOUGH SAID. YOU DECIDE WHAT IS IMPORTANT!

Appropriation Ordinance – discussed by a few Council members. Big issue an increase to the Mayor’s expense account which was approved by the Council. Also, discussion of $100,000 budgeted to tear down houses. The Mayor indicated if they had more revenue than anticipated, it could be diverted to tearing down houses! NO DISCUSSION OF OTHER AREAS IN FREEPORT SUCH AS THE HORRIBLE CONDITION OF THE STREETS. HOW SAD IT IS!

Reports of Department Heads:

Fire Chief – Announced his retirement at the meeting. Freeport thanks him for a job well done.

City Engineer – appears oblivious to problems facing Freeport. He lives in German Valley and serves as a Trustee for that community. Draw your own conclusion!

On a very serious note:

The Mayor and Police Chief discussed the recent murder. Both indicated that it will take the community’s help to solve this crime. Silence will only encourage further conduct of this nature. Unfortunately, one alderman stated that the citizens of Freeport should understand that no neighborhood will be safe in Freeport if this conduct is allowed to continue. How stupid does he think we are. Threats by this alderman in this case are disgusting. Spend less time on Chicago Avenue and more on the real issues facing this community. Talk is cheap – but in this case deadly.

Next Freeport Council meeting is July 15, 2013.