Longmeadow to get more funding

According to Cal Skinner at McHenry County Blog, the 2008 Budget, passed by the General Assembly this week has $2.82 million allocated for Carpentersville/Algonquin for the Longmeadow/Bolz Rd Bridge project.   In 2005, $4 million was allocated by the federal transportation department for the bridge.

The estimated cost to build the bridge/road — connecting Algonquin Rd, on the East, with Huntley Rd on the West — is approximately $88 million.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the funds promised thus far are near enough to cause reconsideration of the proposed toll on the bridge.  Despite the extreme need for another river crossing in the area (and actually there is also a need to establish another crossing north of Algonquin Rd as well, but McHenry County blew that opportunity), making Longmeadow a toll will mean the road will be under-utilized, and will not have as significant of an impact in alleviating congestion at Fox River crossings as there could be.

Presently, all municipalities in the area are backing the proposal for a toll bridge and Kane County is studying options, but seems to be leaning toward supporting a toll bridge.  The towns, including McHenry County, have said that they believe the toll should be set low to pay for construction and then removed once construction costs have been paid for.

I have to say that I’m split on this matter.  Definitely there is a need to have this built sooner, rather than later.  But, paying a toll begs the question of what are we paying taxes for?

Fixing Public Comments, part 2

In Part 1, posted yesterday, I wrote about proper respect that should be shown when coming before the Village Board.

There is also the matter of Village business. This particular meeting, broadcast last Friday, included the Bob Sperlazzo debacle. Sperlazzo mentions in his statement that public comments may include things that “are not yet Village business but may become so”. I would agree with that much.  However, illegal immigration has already been proposed as a topic, and the Village Board has determined that it is not an issue that it wished to talk about.  Therefore, it is not a topic “relevant to Village business” because the Board has already decided that the Village will not take up the issue until the Supreme Court rules on the Hazleton ordinance.

This is something that Village Attorney James Rhodes should have advised the Board when they “appealed the ruling of the President”.  Maybe he was busy with a crossword puzzle or something.

So, it is appropriate to bring something up to the Board.  But, it is not appropriate to continually bring something before the Board which they have said they do not desire to talk about.  Public comments are not an open forum and should not be treated as such.  Continuing to allow comments on issues which the Board has considered and made a direction decision on is not acceptable.

The Board should keep this in mind and act in accordance with this rule.  It would allow the Board to get on to much needed work on items that it intends to act on, while allowing the public comments portion of the meeting to be utilized appropriately.