Save Glenview from higher taxes and over development.
As you read this the village of Glenview is planning to raise your taxes while spending millions of your money to get into the real estate development business in the downtown. Is this what you want ?
Do you support the village's plans to increase our population by up to 25 % ?
Are you in favor of the village's plan to line Glenview and Waukegan Roads with 4 and 5 story condos ?
Are you aware that the village plans to raise your taxes yet continues to spend at levels well above the village's population growth ?
At the end of this letter we are going to ask to act and voice your opinion. The time to act is now. One of the most important things you can do is forward this message on to others in Glenview. Waiting will insure that your answer the above questions would be yes and that you support the overdevelopment and over taxing of village for years to come.
Published reports tell us that the village is planning to raise property taxes every year for the next four years, raise the village's share of sales tax and possibly introduce a real estate transfer tax (this you would have to vote on). They are doing this at the worst possible time in light of the threatened state and county tax increases. On top of all of this we are looking at an uncertain economy, rising utility costs and increasing costs for our everyday life. Now is not the time for village government to be taking money out your pocket and putting in the hands of politicians who want to play developer.
A fair question would be : Does Glenview really need you to pay higher taxes and do they have the money to enter into speculative real estate ventures ? An analysis of the village's finances does would indicate that they do not. From 2000 to 2006 the village's
population grew by 6.3% yet villages expenses for providing services (fire,police, village departments) grew from $22 million in 2000 to $56 million in 2006.That is a 56% increase in spending or 9.5 times the rate of population growth.
During the 2000-06 timeframe the village increased its debt by a substantial amount. Since 2000 the villages total debt obligation has gone from $65 million to $157 million . This is an increase of 140% over the past seven years and this does not include the Glen. To put this in context - Glenview's total debt is greater than the debts of Morton Grove, Northbrook, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Glencoe, Winnetka and Mount Prospect combined.
While the village is planning to raise your taxes to support their spending and debt - the village board is about to decide at their November 6th that they should purchase the vacant Dominick's at the corner of Glenview and Waukegan Roads for $ 6,500,000.
This purchase is being defended by the village as critical to their downtown development plan. This plan was approved by the board in December of 2006 and it called for the private interests to drive the process with about $6 million in village expenses for infrastructure. Now the village is saying the opposite and they with this single transaction spending over 100% more than they said they would. If you not familiar with the village's plans to fill the downtown area with 4 and 5 story condos you can see a copy of their plans on the village website - www.glenview.il.us
Write to the Board of Trustees ( mailing list link ) - tell them what you think. Forward this message on to others in Glenview. Come out to the Board of Trustees meeting on November 6th at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall to be heard on this issue.
Thank you for your time an consideration.
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2 comments:
Where are your actual facts and statistics? Speculation seems to be your middle name. I did not see you at any of the Glenview budget hearings. I am a simple Glenview resident who has no affiliation to any village board. I took the time to get the actual facts. Where were you? I bet you don't approve of these comments and don't put them in your blog.
Tell you what you tell me what fact you want to challenge and I will tell you the source - which will be a village document or from the Illinois Office of the Comptroller . Oh and by the way since you are anonymous (no big surprise) how would you know whether I was at a meeting or not ?
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