Update on 2030 Plan Progress and Disclosure Ordinance

The 2030 Plan is still under review in the Planning and Development Committee of the County Board but almost completed. As soon as dates for public review and comment are set, we will post those. Map changes necessitated by the population reduction will not be undertaken until public review is completed, so that any individual concern that can be resolved with a map change can be addressed. So, do not let the fact that this has gone on for so long discourage you. If you have an issue with the plan and the map please attend the public review and make yourself heard. It may seem like we are not making progress at times, but in the long view, some good things have been accomplished. Don't underestimate the power of public input. The next P&D meeting is January 21, 2010 at 8:30 am.

The ALAW Disclosure Ordinance is still awaiting an opinion from the States Attorney's office. But several candidates for County Board in the Feb 2. primary have voluntarily filed disclosure statements with ALAW. The view these and keep updated on the ALAW Disclosure ordinance go to the ALAW web site through the link on the right or https://sites.google.com/site/landagricultureandwater/

ALAW Presents Conflict of Interest Ordinance to County Board

To: County Board Chair Kenneth Koehler, Honorable County Board Members:
From: Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water (ALAW)
Re: Restoration of the Public Trust

“Transparency in Government” has become a heavily used phrase. It is popping up in the news media, better government groups and in conversations between county residents. Illinois has recently upgraded its Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act. Declarations of openness and transparency are campaign issues for candidates for upcoming elections.

The perception that public officials commonly violate the public trust, by placing personal gain over their duty to their constituents, is insidious and has recently gained momentum here in McHenry County. This creates a climate of distrust, dissatisfaction and speculation that is harmful to all county residents and unfair to those public officials who are brought under suspicion simply by virtue of their office.

We think it is time to put a stop to this. ALAW attorneys researched and compiled pertinent ordinances from other governmental entities in the state and nationwide, and used them as a basis for this proposed McHenry County Economic Interests and Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Ordinance that we present to you today on behalf of your constituents.

Its purpose is to restore the confidence of McHenry County residents in their elected and appointed officials, by clarifying their responsibility of fair and transparent representation in the best interest of their constituents, and by requiring up-front disclosure of economic interests that could result in a conflict.

This ordinance is not intended to replace the current filing requirements under state law
(5 ILCS 4/A), but to enact financial disclosure requirements that require more information than currently required, as permitted by state law (5 ILCS 4/A-101). Nor is this ordinance intended to replace the provisions of McHenry County Board Rules Section 5, Ethics and Conduct, but to enhance and complement that section.

We urge you to consider this ordinance as a preemptive strike against accusations of self-dealing, to view this as an opportunity for McHenry County to lead by example, and to send this ordinance through the proper procedures to expedite its adoption before the February 2nd 2010 primaries.

We understand from talking to a few of you that the proper committee for this ordinance is Management Services. We therefore respectfully request that Management Services place this ordinance on their next agenda.

Thank you for your consideration,
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Berendt,
Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water (ALAW)
PO Box 1021, Woodstock. IL

2030 Plan Progress Update/J. Daleiden incites Koehler response

The County Board's Planning and Development Committee has completed one pass at the 2030 draft plan and will be starting to discuss actual changes at their next meeting on December 3rd at 8:30 am.
Committee member Munaretto has identified several paragraphs and policies for reconsideration.
So far we have held on to the population reduction of 45,000 people. We expect that may be raised again in future meetings.
On another note, if you missed J. Daleiden's letter in the Herald you can still find it with a search on the Herald site for "Biased 2030 Plan". AND you can find Mr. Koehler's response in the Herald today under opinions. The comments that follow each letter are important parts of the whole picture. When you are limited to 200 words its tough to tell a story. Unless you are Mr. Koehler and then you get 270 words. It's good to be king....

POPULATION PROJECTION REDUCED

The Planning and Development Committee of the county Board this morning, in response to amendments submitted by the Green Alliance, reduced the population projections that drive the plan by 45,000 people, about half of what we requested. The map will be revised at a later date to reflect the reduction in population as it translates into acres returned to agriculture protection.

We will have to work hard to hang on to this lower number, as pressure from the Realtor's Board has already been brought to bear on Chair, Tina Hill. So, keep your calls and letters coming. County Board emails are at the end of this post. Thanks to Tina for reconsidering, respecting the wishes of the vast majority of county residents, and raising the issue, and to Sue Draffkorn for the motion to reconsider. The only vote against the reduction was Marc Munaretto.

The Amendments are now posted. You can access them in the link at the right. Feel free to download, share with friends, and forward to your other blogs, social sites and club lists as you wish.

List of ALL county board emails. Planning and Development Committee members are in bold.
AMMiller@co.mchenry.il.us, mmarco@aol.com, RXBless@co.mchenry.il.us, YMBarnes@co.mchenry.il.us, JLHeisler@co.mchenry.il.us, JSBreeden@co.mchenry.il.us, kdkoehler@co.mchenry.il.us, BMWheeler@co.mchenry.il.us, EJDvorak@co.mchenry.il.us, KBSchmidt@co.mchenry.il.us, MLDonner@co.mchenry.il.us, JDHammerand@co.mchenry.il.us, PJMerkel@co.mchenry.il.us, SFSalgado@co.mchenry.il.us, SXDraffkorn@co.mchenry.il.us, JPKennedy@co.mchenry.il.us, PEYensen@co.mchenry.il.us, TRHill@co.mchenry.il.us, countyboard@co.mchenry.il.us, DPRyan@co.mchenry.il.us, ecschuster@co.mchenry.il.us, MTMcCann@co.mchenry.il.us, RXDonley@co.mchenry.il.us

28,000 acres of lost farmland = 43.75 square miles = Woodstock, McHenry and Crystal Lake combined.

To: Planning and Development Department
From: Emily Berendt, Resident, voter and taxpayer, and member of ALAW and the McHenry County Green Alliance

I have attended almost all of the 2030 plan commission meetings starting way back with some of the sub-committee meetings. I have observed first hand the struggle that started day one, with an unbalanced commission heavy on development interests that only became more unbalanced when two departed members were replaced by only one.

I was at the meetings when this voting bloc of development interests disbanded subcommittees, but kept on meeting as such; refused to disclose sources; refused to write their chapters; and manipulated process to their advantage, resulting in a plan that appears environmentally sensitive at first glance - appears to be intent on preserving resources, when in actuality one look at the map will show that it is the same failed development model from the 60’s and 70’s of automobile-dependent spot-zoning and sprawl.

I hope that each of you has or will take the time to carefully read the public comments submitted at the public sessions, both in July and recently in October. The public is telling you there are some basic problems with this plan. Concerns range from, “I don’t want this in my back yard” to “Who says we have to make room for that many people at the cost of sacrificing our rural lifestyle and our water.”

I understand that you have the unenviable task of reviewing in a few short weeks, a document that has taken the RPC three years to construct and making it representative of the wishes of the majority, including the people most affected by it, the residents of District 6.

With that in mind, I would like to present you with two proposed amendments to the plan that if adopted, would remedy two major issues that have been raised. I urge you to consider these amendments first, because adoption of them would resolve many of the issues that will come up in a page-by-page or policy-by-policy review.

The first issue is the questionable population projection that is 82,406 higher than the CMAP projection and 96,602 higher than the US Census projection for 2030.

The second issue is a result of the first; the enormous amount of farmland (and water recharge) consumed by other designated uses - 28,000 acres of lost farmland – 43.75 square miles - almost the equivalent of the landmass of Woodstock, McHenry and Crystal Lake combined.

Each amendment has a discussion and some supporting materials with it, so as not to take up your valuable time today. I ask that you read it carefully and make your decision accordingly. The residents of this county have had very little respect for their comments from the RPC and now turn to you, with the hope you will listen.


For copies of the two amendments click on the link to the right labeled Plan Amendments.

Where is the 2030 Plan Now?

Click on this poster to enlarge and read
Click on the link to the right to view our other posters

Pat Kennedy: Strong Words to the 2030 Plan Commission!

Good Evening,

I’m Patricia Kennedy, 20712 Streit Road, rural Harvard. I am speaking as a resident, a tax payer, a voter and as someone who cares deeply for this county and people who live here. I must speak to you this evening directly and openly.

First off, Chairman Eldridge, I want to thank you for your consideration of the public when you gave the public an opportunity to speak to all of you at both the beginning and the ending of each meeting. I think that was thoughtful and wise. Thank you.

Next, I want to speak of a P&D committee meeting that I was at a few years ago. The Imagine McHenry County group had just made a presentation and the Chair of the Committee spoke in strong support of the concept and the survey that was about to be initiated. She said with great conviction and pleasure that the results of that survey would be the corner stone, the bedrock, that the 2030 Plan would be built on. This was later supported at a County Board meeting.

However, most of this commission has ignored that survey. You have also almost completely ignored the many comments made to you when the text of the Plan draft was presented to the public a short time ago. And as of your last meeting you have almost completely ignored what the people ask of you on their review of the presentation of the Land Use Plan Map and the Land Use Plan Map chapter. In fact, some of you have ridiculed people who made comments and used the wrong words simply because they are unfamiliar with the terms. You understood what they were saying, but chose to mock them instead. How Dare You.

The public has spoken to you time after time, and time after time the majority of you have refused to listen to them. A few of you have listened and have upheld your duty to represent the huge majority of the people and of good planning precepts. To those few, I am Very grateful.

A few of you put together thoughtful, well reasoned, and reflective chapters, followed good planning practices and were also guided by what the people of this County requested. The rest of you seemed to be listening to - Well, how can I say, I probably shouldn’t say. You certainly WERE NOT following good planning practices or the huge majority of the public or the municipalities. The majority of you chose to use population projections as the basis of this Plan - And you chose to bring together your Own numbers. Although neighboring counties have been and are using NIPC (now CMAP) population projections and our own Department of Transportation largely uses those same projections YOU chose to make up your own. You also chose to project a continuation of the recent few years, ignore national trends created by the current deep recession and experts’ opinions that the economy will not rebound into the same type and scope of development it left behind. The years that you used had unprecedentedly rapid car-culture growth that sprawled into the countryside. How short sighted.

Some of you have helped to put together excellent work and then apparently did not have the courage to stand behind that work. In some cases you have argued for what “your clients would accept”. That is shocking, disappointing and something that I hope you will correct in the future.

Speaking to the majority of you, you have betrayed the trust of the people, ignored what they have ask of you time after time and appear to be serving a tiny minority rather the huge majority. That is despicable and unforgivable. It is my desire that your positions and actions on this plan be made known to as many people as possible and as quickly as possible. May your children and grandchildren forgive you for they will certainly have to pay for the bad decisions you are making here tonight.

Thank you, Chairman Eldridge.