Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Session begins at 7 p.m. at city hall.
Yorvkille officials will continue to delve into the proposed budget Tuesday night, examining the various funds in the 2014 spending plan. Earlier this month the board heard a presentation by City Administrator Bart Olson providing a broad view of the budget, including an expected shortfall of $700,000 in the city's general fund, cuts in the leaf pickup program, cutting city payments to the Kendall Area Transit and a monthly $8 road infrastructure fee on residents. Council will look at funding for street maintenance, engineering costs and other city services during the meeting. In addition to the budget, officials will receive an update on replacement of 20 downtown parking stalls in the Old Jail Parking Lot. The spaces are being replaced …
Friday, February 15, 2013
City EDC urged new residential constructions to include an active radon reduction system.
The Yorkville City Council shot down a proposal to require all new residential construction projects to include an active radon reduction system in new homes. Aldermen overwhelmingly opposed the plan, saying they did not want to add an additional governmental burden to developers, especially when the city is hoping to attract new developments. The proposal was prompted after a resident and alderman expressed concern with the high level of radon in homes. Radon is gas produced from the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water.Yorkville and Kendall County are in an area designated as Zone 1 for radon levels, according to a chart by the Environmental Protection Agency. Radon is drawn into a home from the ground through the air …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Council hears big picture presentation Tuesday night. Final vote on budget set for April 30.
City Administrator Bart Olson said the city will continue to keep a tight rein on spending and other expenses as officials began to examine the approximately $25 million proposed 2014 fiscal year budget. Giving what he called a “big picture” presentation, Olson said the city’s general fund of approximately $13 million will go from a nearly $2.3 million surplus this year to a $700,000 deficit in the next budget. Olson said that deficit is largely due to payments incurredfrom the REC Center budget and payments to the facility owners, as well as the incentive payout of the Countryside TIF sometime near the end of 2013. Olson said a consolidation of budget funds will help offset the deficit with a strong fund balance. He said staff is …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at city hall.
Tonight Yorkville officials are set to vote on the Local Debt Recovery Program, which allows local governments to enter into an agreement with the Illinois Office of the Comptroller to collect unpaid debts, including parking tickets, fines and outstanding utility bills. According to city documents, the city would electronically transfer debtor information to the comptroller’s office. The comptroller would then withhold any amount owed to the city from the debtor’s state income tax refund, lottery winnings, state pension or payroll or commercial payments. The state would provide the debtor written notice informing him or her they have 60 days to protest the deduction. If no protest is made at the end of the 60 day period, the amount owed …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Property taxes to rise in three city neighborhoods due to delinquent payments on vacant properties by the developers.
Yorkville officials unanimously approved an abatement of Special Service area taxes where some residents will see their property taxes increase due to delinquent tax payments on vacant properties by the developers. Rresidents in Raintree Village, Windett Ridge Homeowners Association, and Grande Reserve Central express their frustrations over the expected $120 to $300 increase in property taxes. The developers of the three subdivisions, Morgan Stanley Bank’s LLC holding company in Raintree Village, Windett Ridge LLC in Windett Ridge, and US Bank’s LLC holding company in Grande Reserve, failed to make the property tax payments this year. The county sought to sell off the property taxes, but there were no takers. When property taxes on …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Council meets tonight at 7 p.m. in the city council chambers.
Yorkville officials are scheduled to vote on the abatement of three controversial and complicated Special Service Areas where residents can expect to see an increase in property taxes due to of payment by the developers on vacant lots. Last week aldermen listened to residents in Raintree Village, Windett Ridge Homeowners Association, and Grande Reserve Central express their frustrations over the expected $120 to $300 increase. The developers of the three subdivisions, Morgan Stanley Bank’s LLC holding company in Raintree Village, Windett Ridge LLC in Windett Ridge, and US Bank’s LLC holding company in Grande Reserve, failed to make the property tax payments this year. Special Service Areas were created as a financing mechanism for …
Monday, January 14, 2013
7 p.m. meeting will focus on proposed SSA abatement ordinances for Raintree Village, Windett Ridge Homeowners Association, and Grande Reserve central.
Yorkville Mayor Gary Golinski called a special meeting Tuesday night to discuss the proposed SSA abatement ordinances for Raintree Village, Windett Ridge Homeowners Association, and Grande Reserve central. This discussion will be focused on the summer 2013 SSA property taxes for those subdivisions. Council originally planned to discuss these abatements during the Jan. 8 council meeting. However the abatement ordinances were tabled after Ward 1 Alderman Carlo Colosimo, serving as Mayor Pro Tem, said residents of those communities wanted to meet in order to discuss the process. Special Service Areas were created as a financing mechanism for subdivisions to allow the cost of the infrastructure to be bonded by the cities, and for the repayment…
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Lottery for first position held Thursday afternoon.
Joel Frieders will be the first candidate listed for Ward 3 on the April ballot, with incumbent Marty Munns being second, following a special placement lottery Wednesday afternoon. Both Frieders and Munns filed candidacy papers at 8 a.m. Dec. 17, the first day of filing, which forced the need for a lottery. Samuel Clementz who filed on December 26 will be listed third. Filing for the 2013 aldermanic elections closed Dec. 26 with a total of eight candidates seeking a seat on the United City of Yorkville City Council. A list of all city council candidates can be found here. In 2011 there were a total of 2,750 votes cast in the aldermanic elections, with an average of 688 per ward. According to city documents the number of signatures required…
Lottery drawing for candidates who filed at same time in Ward 3 will be held this afternoon.
Filing for the 2013 aldermanic elections closed Wednesday afternoon with a total of eight candidates seeking a seat on the United City of Yorkville City Council. As of the end of filing candidates running are: Incumbent Ward 1 Alderman Ken Koch. Ward 1 candidate Fred L. Anderson filed petitions Monday Dec. 17 Incumbent Ward 2 Alderman Larry Kot filed Dec. 17. Incumbent Ward 3 Alderman Marty Munns and Ward 3 candidate Joel Frieders both filed their nominating petitions at 8 a.m. Monday morning, the first day of filing, forcing a lottery drawing on Dec. 27 at 4 p.m. to determine which candidate’s name will appear first on the ballot. Also filing for Ward 3 was challenger Samuel M. Clementz. Incumbent Ward 4 Alderman Diane Teeling and …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Does city program compete against private entities, mayor asks.
Should the United City of Yorkville be in the preschool business? This was a question Mayor Gary Golinski asked city council members during the Dec. 11 board meeting. Referencing a referendum on city recreation, Golinski said residents have repeatedly said they do not want to see city government competing against private business and wondered if the city should continue to operate a preschool program. If the city should not compete with private health clubs and gymnasiums, Golinski said it stands to reason the city should not compete with private preschool operations. Yorkville Parks and Recreation provides a preschool program, Parker's Playtime Preschool, 202 E. Countryside Parkway Suite D. "We shouldn't pick and choose when it comes to …
Radon
12:50 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013
Very good point Mark. This radon issue reminded me tobacco in 60's. People were testifying before congress, telling us that cigarettes are perfectly safe and nothing should change until more research is done. But now we know that tobacco killed 100 million people over the course of the 20th century. There is more than enough evidence that radon gas causes lung cancer and kills people. People are … more ›