Winfield trustees email stirs firestorm By Krystyna Slivinski - Tempers flared in Winfield at a recent Committee of the Whole meeting as trustees grappled with whether to censure Trustee Tim Allen for an email he sent to local taxing bodies to gauge support on rezoning parts of Roosevelt Road for commercial development. After more than an hour of debate, they agreed the public flogging was more than enough and a formal censure was not necessary. They voted 4 to 3 that Allen went too far when he sent the email that staff said sparked a firestorm of phone calls and emails from officials at Winfield School District 34 seeking clarification. I went to the school board and they were disgusted, said Trustee Phillip Mustes. When they get a letter from one trustee … they get real suspicious. No one from the school board attended the meeting. At issue were the projections Allen used to show how much more property taxes school districts stood to collect if Roosevelt Road were developed. Staff said the numbers were wrong and misleading. Its still a guessing game because there are so many variables until you have a development, said Village Manager Curt Barrett, who pointed out that it could take decades before new revenues are fully realized. At a village board meeting in February, members discussed the idea of sending out a formal letter asking local taxing bodies if they wanted to weigh in on an updated comprehensive plan that is currently in the works. While the board agreed it would not send out a request, trustees were told they could reach out to schools, fire or the library and offer their own opinion on the plan. Allen said he simply carried out the boards direction. You cant tell a trustee he cant have an opinion outside of this room, said Trustee Tony Reyes. Youre on a witch hunt tonight. Other trustees took issue with Allens email that mentioned the village may consider a tax increment financing district or TIF for the area. The village countered that a TIF district has never been discussed and Allen bringing it up amounted to scare tactics since a TIF limits how much school districts collect in property taxes from new development. Whatever one does reflects on us all, said Trustee Jack Bajor, who along with trustees Jim McCurdy, Phillip Mustes and President Erik Spande, agreed that Allen engaged in misconduct when he sent the Feb. 26 email. You (Allen) dont work collectively with the board and thats damaging. The plan that will serve as a road map for the village remains in the hands of the plan commission where the prospect of development on Roosevelt Road continues to attract heated debate. A recommendation is expected in April. Allen who has been a longtime supporter of bringing in new business said he was operating in the villages best interests. At the end of the day, Im still going to do what I need to do, said Allen. You cant put me in jail. You cant fire me …You got nothing. chicagotribune/news/local/suburbs/west_chicago_winfield_warrenville/ct-trustee-censure-winfield-tl-0313-20140309,0,2817088.story
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:27:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015