Downtown Naperville may be one step closer to getting either a hotel or condominiums.
So reads the story by Kathy Millen about proposed improvements on Water Street.
The Plan Commission is recommending the project go forward. It could be a hotel and condos or just condos.
Bill Mego has weighed in on the topic. He's not too thrilled.
Read up on it. What's your take?

MODERATOR'S NOTE: Since this category has evolved into a debate over the Naperville Mayoral race and the city council, I'm OK with that development. But this is a note to new readers that this topic is here, at least for the time being.

Bill Mego seems to think so. And he's gone on record thanking the City Council in his column. Yet not everyone is all gung ho about the prospect. What's your take on what is a public and very private issue?
To read about the council's decision, click here.

Scroll down to the blog entries for red light camera tickets and Naperville term limits to see links to the latest developments on those issues.

Depending on what they decide Tuesday, the Naperville City Council could give motorists a break on the number of possible red-light camera tickets they might get. The council is set to receive a report from the Naperville Police on whether to continue enforcing right turns on red.
On the one hand, drivers won't have to sweat out a possible fine if they turn on red but don't stop before the white line. On the other hand, those tickets make up a big part of the revenue generated by the red-light cameras. The city stands to lose about $600,000 this year alone with the change in effect Read the full story here.
Now what are your thoughts? Are the cameras worth it? Mediator talking: I know this issue has come up before but now's the chance to sound off before the City Council makes it's decision. There's two days to try to sway the decision your way.

UPDATE: Red light camera tickets for right turn on red lights now won't be enforced by Naperville Police. Read what the council did. note there is an exception at an intersection where such turns are illegal already.

During a routine discussion amending text to Naperville's zoning code, the City Council found out that abortion clinics can establish themselves anywhere in the city. This set off a discussion among council members about just where abortion clinics could or should be located in town. A measure to direct city staff to draft recommendations on where abortion clinics can be located. The motion failed, deadlocked at 4-4. Mayor Pradel, who could have broken the deadlock, was absent. What are your views?

The Naperville City Council has approved a resolution to place a referendum on the November ballot establishing term limits for city council members. It passed 7-1 with Richard Furstenau casting the only "no" vote. Have City Council members stayed too long? Are you happy with things the way they are?

UPDATE: Now it's official. The term limit question will be on the ballot in November. Read the story here.

As part of its efforts to reduce its budget deficit, the city of Naperville recently approved taking 25 percent of the money collected for the SECA fund and using it to fill gaps in the general fund.

The SECA fund, which aids art, cultural and public service groups, is funded from a downtown food and beverage tax intended for this purpose.

As a result of the 25 percent cut, while $3,649,932 in requests for funding were made, the city was only able to distribute $2,028,515 in awards this year, down from $2,876,568.

With public service agencies and other art and cultural groups facing funding cuts from numerous sources, do you agree with the decision to take money away from what was intended to support these groups to pay for other city needs?

On Thursday the city of Naperville began to inform city workers of layoffs. The exact number and the positions was unclear Thursday but was expected to amount to several dozen jobs eliminated, between open positions and job cuts. Ten of the cuts will be at the police department, where eight open positions were eliminated and two recently hired officers were let go.

The cuts were projected to save the city about $3.5 million in an effort to close an $11 million budget deficit for 2011.

Councilman Bob Fieseler told the Sun that while the cuts were necessary, this time residents would notice the difference and would be disappointed as their services were affected.

What do you think of these cuts by the city?

Edit: The city announced Friday that a total of 49 positions were cut, consisting of 22 filled postions and 27 vacant positions. The city estimates this will save $3.6 million. Combined with last year's reductions, the city has now cut 10 percent of its labor force.

From the sentencing of Brian Dugan to the death penalty for the murder of Jeanine Nicarico to President Barack Obama becoming the first African-American president, this year was filled with great change to great sorrow. The country's economy continues to struggle and unemployement the highest in quite awhile.

We've struggled here in Naperville, too. But rather than us telling you what the top stories are, we'd like to hear what you think. Either comment here or send your top 10 list to readers' editor Heather Pfundstein@scn1.com.

In a close 5-4 vote Monday night, the Naperville City Council agreed to raise the property tax rate from 0.7167 percent to 0.7367 percent.

The city has in the past approved a property tax rate increase and then lowered it when assessments are released, and officials claim the same thing will happen this time. The city plans to collect more than $50.6 million in property taxes next year and only approved the higher rate in case assessments fall, to ensure city services are funded.

This is necessary because a property tax levy must be approved well in advance of the budget year's beginning.

Councilwoman Judy Brodhead said the assessment was much more important to a person's tax payment than the tax rate, but Councilman Bob Fieseler objected to a tax that is impossible for a struggling property owner to avoid, unlike a sales tax.

Still, for owners hoping a drop in property values would mean a drop in taxes, it would seem the city is planning for a way around that contingency.

What do you think? Is this just business as usual or do you object?

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1847791,Naperville-OKs-tax-rate-hike_na102609.article