02-06-2011, 02:13 AM
4st resident Wrote:Its too bad that too many folks make too many assumptions without knowing the facts. Not sure how TypesWithFist determined that Link was the driving factor behind keeping Hyde and company in office for so long.Are you saying Mrs. Link disagrees with the positions her husband has taken on issues? How could you make that assumption?
Bottom line is Waukegan is in a huge debt hole to the tune of 100 million. Annual revenues are roughly 67 million and declining. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out this is not a good situation. That debt is resting squarely on the backs of all the property tax payers. So while your property values are plunging in the toilet, your taxes are going to go up in 2011, and likely 2012.
The city council has talked a lot about bringing businesses into town, but there has been very little action. A questioning mind may wonder why is that? A large part of the problem is the city runs developers through miles of red tape just to obtain permits to build. If you were a city down on your luck, why wouldnât you be laying out the red carpet to these folks? Developers get tired of the run-around and go somewhere else.
Waukegan has so much to offer with the lake front, the historic downtown buildings, the local music, and the historical homes. To make a real change the entire city council needs to go, along with all their closed minded ideas that Waukegan is nothing but an old industrial town that still has the images of 1970s and 1980s blight.
Waukegan is the last town between Chicago and Milwaukee that has not gone through their lake front re-development. Residents should begin to ask themselves why is that? Is Waukegan really that different from Racine or Kenosha, who have had similar problems? Or if you look further west, look at Elgin. Similar in size to Waukegan, almost the same type of problems with industry leaving, yet, Elgin is working hard at developing their water front area along the Fox River.
Property tax payers need to ask themselves what are they getting in return for the money they are spending each year when they write those two checks to the Lake County Collector, and how wisely is the city council spending their percentage of the levy??