Words to live by. Especially if you live in a parcel that was - abra cadabra! - suddenly removed from the boundaries of the Wilson Yard TIF for future inclusion in the Maryville TIF. Check Ald. Shiller's website for details... oh, wait, they're not there.
Every Uptowner should read this page from the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group to learn about TIF Transparency in Chicago, the TIF Bill of Rights, the TIF Reform Program, and most important, how to register as an Interested Party. Property owners in Uptown have already been hit up for $112 million (One Hundred and Twelve MILLION dollars) for "development" in the Wilson Yard TIF boundaries. Don't let it happen in Maryville without knowing what's happening and what your rights are.
That's true TIF transparency. Demand it.
Registering for the TIF Interested Party is all part of the city's conspiracy to creat the illusion that TIFs are:
ReplyDeleteTransparent
Include a real community planning process
Actually revitalize blighted communities
It's all BS to shut you up.
Have been a registered TIF interested party for 8 years. Have received about three mailings of undecipherable goobly-goop.
Do they ever send you anything that matters and you can read? No.
For example, I've heard through the neighborhood grapevine that Shiller has already given
$3 million to that large CHA building on Eastwood out of her new fattened TIF bank account.
She's spending like she won a
Price-Is-Right shopping spree
and you'll never hear about it
by registering.
I encourage all my neighbors to register if for no other reason than to witness how pathetic your home town's notion of informing the public is
ReplyDeleteWhat's the best way to showcase the report information versus what is actually happening? And by showcase I mean expose through the local media?
ReplyDeleteI too registered and received little or no information. The city told me that your name expires on the list in 3 years. Nevertheless, the point of registering is to get people to document that the the city is not fulfilling its obligation under state law to distribute info. Lord knows we aren't getting any but we need to prove it to judges, watchdog groups, and enforcement (ha,ha) agencies.
ReplyDeleteAlso interesting how the City just spent $1.8M to redo their website and still require you to kill a tree to register.
ReplyDeleteIf that ain't a tell-tale sign of bullsh1t, I don't know what it.
FYI - the forms can be downloaded
ReplyDeleteKatherine is dead on. I signed up a few years back and received the same goobly-goop. It would take 10 attorney's to decifer what it says and they would then tell you its not saying much.
ReplyDeleteThis city's becoming a joke.
Well I hope everyone who reads these points will remember in 343 days to "explain" to puplic officals that you demand more from anyone currently using TIF funds for their own private agenda. I think TIF funds and the budget issues of Chicago should be the only topic of discussion at election time. It is at least partially due to TIF's that the police do not have the manpower hired that they need!
ReplyDelete