The first installment of real estate tax bills is due June 1 for many Naperville residents in DuPage and Will counties. Most homeowners pay the bulk of their real estate taxes to local school districts. Other taxing districts on bills are the city, county, township, park district, forest preserve, community college, and more.
How do your taxes this year compare to last? What about your assessment--how has the value of your home changed? A higher assessment can be a big part of the reason for higher taxes, though a taxing district's rate may have increased due to a referendum. How much are you paying, and are you getting your money's worth?
In today's Sun (Sun., 5.4) we spotlight the local effect surging food prices are having on Naperville shoppers. Some food stores are doing their best to juggle rising costs and consumer concerns, but they wonder how long they can last. Shoppers are worried, too, as we cite the plight of one mom who is making more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for school lunches and using less meat. No matter the product, our report shows how virtually every food stuff has risen dramatically in price, from bread to butter to kid juice-packs. We'd like to know how you're coping with rising food prices and whether it's impacting the menus that wind up either in the kids' lunch boxes or what goes on the table for dinner. Have you changed your grocery store buying habits? Tell us right here.
Representatives of Indian Prairie School District 204 and the group Neighborhood Schools for Our Children will sit down at the bargaining table May 13 in an attempt to mediate a lawsuit that NSFOC filed against the district. The group seeks to block the district from moving forward with construction of Metea Valley High School on the Eola Road site, saying the district has an obligation to buy the Brach-Brodie land and build there.
Will mediation work, or will this suit end up being litigated in court? What would be an equitable solution to the situation? Will the NSFOC suit end up being dismissed and will the district proceed with construction in hopes of opening Metea in August 2009? What about the other lawsuit the district faces for backing out of efforts to buy Brach-Brodie? How much in damages and legal fees will the district end up paying because of its court battles with the Brach and Brodie trusts? When all is said and done, will it end up costing the district more to build on Eola than if it had paid the court-determined price for the Brach-Brodie land?
For this post we feature an entry sent to us by Andrew Kriz, an alumnus of Naperville's Neuqua Valley High School and a law student at the University of Iowa. Andrew writes about a friend who was planning to go to Neuqua's prom tonight (5.2), but was denied the chance because he missed the deadline to buy a ticket. Are school administrators being too harsh? Or is this one of life's important lessons?
Friday's Sun profiles Robert Marshall, Naperville's interim city manager. Marshall, 54, a 30-year veteran of the Naperville Police Department, is in the running, and, some might say, has the inside track to replace Peter Burchard as city manager. How good of a job do you think Marshall is doing? Should the City Council give him the job and remove "interim" from his title, or continue with plans to conduct a nationwide search for a replacement?
Naperville expected to reap $2.4 million in new revenue this year by launching a red-light photo enforcement program that would automatically send tickets to people caught on tape violating traffic signal regulations. Now the city manager says the program is plagued with technical problems, and staff recommend the city council terminate a contract with a company administering the program.
What do you think of the plan to seek bids from other companies? Given this experience and problems with red-light cameras reported in other communities across the country, how wise is it for Naperville to commit to a program at this time? What about the revenue the city expected from the program--no doubt it will be less, maybe lost altogether. How should the council address the revenue shortfall?
Thursday's Sun features the story of Brianna DeSimone, a 17-year-old Neuqua Valley High School student who has struck up friendships with senior citizens. Joni Spurlock, 73, Aggie Carson, 89 and Rudy Bilotta, 94, live at Eagle Place in Naperville, a Senior Home Sharing residence. DeSimone visits, celebrates special occasions, shares gifts, and even brings by friends and boyfriends.
We thought this story captured the spirit of the Naperville community. What's your favorite story about or example of Naperville's generosity? Tell about how you or someone you know shared their time, treasure or talents with others.
If you live in Naperville and are looking for a place to dispose of some old motor oil, or out-of-date prescription drugs you may be in for a long ride after next year. Due to a $25,000 budget shortfall, the city's household waste disposal facility may have to shut its doors after 2009. It's one of only three such facilities in all of Illinois - the other two are in Rockford and Chicago. Those are pretty long hauls to get rid of nasty items you might find hanging around your garage, especially now in this spring-cleaning season. Will the funds be found to keep the place going? Hopefully, but it's not a sure thing by any means as The Sun examines today (Wed., 4.30) in a story highlighting another revenue woe in these tough economic times. What do you make of it? We'd like to know.
Tuesday's Sun features the story of Kent Gramm, who is losing his job as a college English professor after 20 years because he refuses to tell his employer personal details about his divorce. Of course, when your employer is Wheaton College, you know when you sign up that you've got to stick to the moral high road. What do you think of Gramm's decision to resign rather than explain why his 30-year marriage ended?
"I think it's ludicrous." That was the response Naperville City Councilman Jim Boyajian gave The Sun when contacted for a story (Sun. 4.27) that spotlighted the $4,950 that is budgeted for magazine and newspaper subscriptions for council members. That amount is the second largest expense in the city's 2008-2009 Mayor and City Council budget (cell phone allowances are first at $5,400). Boyajian, who reaches into his own pocket to pay for his reading materials, is not alone among council members in thinking this is a waste of money - especially in these cash-strapped times. Councilman John Rosanova wanted to do away with the allowance - that accounts for almost 12% of the $41,475 Mayor and City Council budget - entirely, but said talks never took hold during last month's budget workshops. So, do you think this is fiscally responsible, or should the Naperville City Council receive this allowance to keep up on their reading. The comment line is open.
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