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Agenda Item # 11(i): Resolution 16-R2 to approve TIF project and the Closing TIF. On the closing of TIF: I am disturbed that TIF laws are ignored. If the members of the city council had read, understood and followed the TIF laws, then Lake Geneva’s TIF district #4 would have been close years ago. Furthermore, I am concerned that the May 15th deadline to close TIF#4 will not be met and that local residents will again have to pay the additional $1.6 million dollars in TIF taxes next year. However, I am optimistic that our city manager will be doing his best to enable TIF#4 to be closed this year. Even if the May 15th deadline is missed, TIF#4 should be closed and it can be closed at any time. The only difference is the closing date and whether TIF tax will be collected next year. We were a nation of laws, but they are often being ignored and our legal system is further enabling the government and the wealthy to by-pass or to be immune to the intent, prosecution and penalties of those laws, but not us.

We are not lawyers and we do not know all the complexities of our laws, but we are expected to follow them; however, we do know right and wrong on which those laws should be based, so when in doubt use that to make your decisions to close TIF District #4. On Resolution 16-R2: Creating and sneaking in new TIF projects when TIF is about to be closed flies in the face of the public purposes state law that requires a specific stated purpose for collecting taxes. The law does not permit taxes be collected without a specified stated use, which the City of Lake Geneva has repeatedly ignored. Taking the $400,000 from White River money to spend to widen Main Street into a 3 lane road between Wells and Curtis was not a TIF project and should not be snuck in at the last minute to aid in a possible development on the Hillmoor property. Furthermore, adding ½ a million dollar TIF project in the middle of January that is listed as a “budget amendment for approved TIF projects” does not properly inform the public of the agenda item, because cancelling and replacing projects is not a simple budget item.

Based on inadequate public notice I am asking that this item be removed from the agenda because the proper pubic notice was not given. Furthermore, the agenda item is poorly listed as “a budget amendment for approved TIF projects”. This does not properly inform the public of the magnitude or the meaning of the pending agenda item that included the cancelling of an approved $400,000 White River TIF project and the addition of a previously unknown ½ million dollar road widening TIF project to the list. Based on an inadequate public notice of the agenda item, I am asking that this item be removed from the agenda. The phase “for approved TIF projects” can be understood to apply to only previously approved TIF projects and therefore the addition of a new especially a previously unapproved project such as the ½ million dollar road widening TIF project would not be anticipated by public and therefore the public was not given nor did it receive the proper notice of the agenda item. Terry O’Neill, Lake Geneva resident, activist and former Alderperson

 

 

The following letter to the editor was sent to the Geneva Shore Report as a copy to be included in this issue by special request. The original was sent to the Lake Geneva Regional News.

 

Before you consider ever letting anyone from the Lake Geneva Regional News into your home, think about this: How could Chris Schultze, a reporter for this newspaper, inveigle his way into Maureen Marks’ home on Monday, January 18th, 2016? He drank a cup of coffee, then went upstairs to take Maureen’s picture. Later, he left Maureen’s home to go back to the Regional News’ office and wrote a cover story labeling her a criminal and a fraud.

No matter what you might think of Maureen, as I am her friend and think she’s wonderful, please carefully consider ever letting an employee of the Lake Geneva Regional News into your home. Believe this is true because I was present during 98% of the interview. Respectfully submitted, Judith M. Salmon

 

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