Daily Chronicle | County Board contemplates transparency

Note:  Boone County received a similar score.

recent D-minus grade in transparency given to DeKalb County by the Illinois Policy Institute did not sit well with some County Board members and officials, and changes could be coming.

The county had low scores in categories such as employee salary and benefit information and Freedom of Information Act standards. Although salary and FOIA information is available on the county’s website, the IPI said the site should list salary and benefits on an individual basis and have clearer information on how to contact FOIA officers…..

new state statute will require counties to list the salaries and benefits of individuals making more than $75,000, so Charles Foster, R-Shabbona, said the county might as well list every employee….

seemed open to the idea of listing the few lobbying agencies to which the county belongs, as well as those agencies that lobby the county. Statements of economic interest also could be published on the website in the future

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Daily Chronicle | County Board contemplates transparency

Economy responsible for new ‘ghost towns’

Is Boone County thinking about this?

How quickly they rebound will be directly linked to the reasons the development stalled in the first place,” he said. “There’s a big difference between a development that sits 90 minutes outside a metropolitan area whose pool of buyers dried up, and a very desirable, well-located piece of land being developed by someone who got in over his head financially.

“If the project made great sense because of its amenities, location and price, it will make great sense again,” Rice predicted. “If it was a project located just another exit or two farther from the city than the last project that was built, well, I think those developments may be slower to recover — and it’s possible they may never be completed. We’ve actually seen that with some Detroit developments, where they’ve just pushed dirt over the poured foundations. They’re done

Click on the following to read his entire piece:  Northwest Herald | Economy responsible for new ‘ghost towns’

Belvidere Township’s Governance in the news again

 

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Belvidere Township attorney, resident disagree over accusations

Written by Bob Balgemann

Belvidere Township resident Max Newport believes the township board of trustees has violated state statutes.

Township attorney Keri-Lynn Krafthefer disagrees, saying there is no proof of that.

They exchanged those views at the board’s July 24 meeting during the public comments portion of the agenda. And the public’s ability to address the board also was criticized by Newport.

Read all of the BDR article by clicking on the following:  Belvidere Township attorney, resident disagree over accusations | Belvidere Daily Republican

 

Belvidere Township’s legal fees have skyrocketed 383 percent from five years ago.

By Jennifer Wheeler

The township has been scrutinized for months with residents filing lengthy Freedom of Information Act requests and writing memos that require legal responses. People have questioned the township’s budget, public comment process and whether the government body should even exist.

Click on the following for all of this story:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/x417563755/Belvidere-Township-legal-fees-spike-leaders-blame-public-scrutinynity

Boone County reconsiders electrical aggregation vote - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

By Jennifer Wheeler

Walberg speculated that the referendum failed because residents felt uninformed on the issue, did not trust the government to negotiate rates or believed they were voting on smart meters

Click on the following for more details:  Boone County reconsiders electrical aggregation vote - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star