Daily Herald Editorial Board: The acronym TIF refers to a conversation-stopping tax strategy that is not easy to understand but can have direct consequences for communities, schools, parks, libraries and taxpayers. In the best of circumstances, it can help a community encourage development in struggling parts of town. In the worst, it can suck resources away from the agencies and institutions people count on.
A proposed 184-acre TIF district in western Hoffman Estates qualifies as the latter, and adds insult to injury by potentially increasing demands on local resources, schools in particular, while simultaneously taking resources away from them.
So, it’s not hard to understand why nearly every affected agency took a stand this week in opposition to providing the incentive to a proposed residential and commercial development near routes 72 and 59. In a pair of votes, members of a joint review board overwhelmingly declared the project ineligible for a TIF designation on land the Hoffman Estates village board is considering annexing.
Most of the review board members had selfish reasons to be wary of the proposal. For up to the next 23 years, it would divert tax money away from them — including, among others, Barrington Unit District 220, Community Unit District 300, the Barrington Area Library, Harper College, Elgin Community College, Barrington Township and the Barrington Hills Park District.
All in the interest of a project that — if successful — would bring businesses and residents to an area already bustling with restaurants, grocers and department stores.
The complete Daily Herald editorial can be read here.
LET’S NOT BE FOOLED BY EQUESTRIAN CHALLENGERS SPURIOUS CLAIMS OF MISMANAGED BORDERS; THIS ELECTION IS ALL ABOUT REINSTATEMENT OF ANDERSON II HORSE BOARDING AMENDMENT
This proposed development is the result of unmitigated failed VBH border strategies of the past by former VBH President, the Silent One and Save 5 Acres majority BOT. A defenseless disconnection lawsuit which the Illinois Appellate Court referred to VBH’s strategy as nothing more than a “legal gimmick” . VBH was lucky it was not sanctioned by the Court. (Citizens for Stieper raised these failed strategies surrounding these parcels in both 2011 and 2013 well before McLaughlin and Konicek-Hannigan were elected.)
Rather than engage in transitional zoning strategies (“feathering”) a long practiced tradition in VBH (Paganica, Middlebury) with the property owner through promotion of voluntary disconnection and then reconnection through re-annexation into VBH coupled with a mutually acceptable development plan which would have provided an iron clad legal buffer to further development “creep” into VBH, the Silent One, well . . . she just remained silent.
The VBH Comprehensiive Plan approved by Former President and Save 5 Acres BOT identified these parcels on VBH Southern boarder prior to disconnection as “mixed use”, “commercial and residential”. Other than a “gimmick” in defense of a defenseless disconnection lawsuit, former President and the Silent One offered no other plausible strategy to save these parcels from disconnection . . . . . . . like negotiation with the property owner. It just didn’t fit with the Save 5 Acres montra which the Silent One now in her 2017 campaign for the same VBH office is running away from. . .
Instead, VBH BOT approved tax funds in excess of $100,000 to defend this defenseless disconnection lawsuit resulting not only in the inevitable loss of this land but loss of control and VBH being the beneficiary of an endless tax revenue stream. Might have helped offset some of that pension deficit in the many Millions of Dollars resulting from Save 5 Acres majority board decision via promotion of referendum to remove police pension from Illinois state managed fund to be locally run by VBH. Worse decision than the Cubs decision to trade a young Lou Brock for an aging Ernie Brioglio.
As much as the large scale commercial horse boarding sponsored equestrian opposition candidates want to make this a campaign against McLaughlin and Konicek-Hannigan about what is happening beyond VBH borders, the real by-line of this election (which no one is talking about) is what these candidates in support unlimited commercial horse boarding want to do within VBH borders:
That is right, reinstate “Anderston II Commercial Horse Boarding Ordinance.”
These large scale commercial horse boarding sponsored equestrian candidates know they cannot win this election by offering the truth of their intent to bastardize VBH residential zoning code through adoption of unfettered commercial horse boarding practices with no local government oversight. In otherwords, reinstatement of Anderson II.
Instead, these 3 unknowns plucked from the trail and the all too well-known Silent Once have chosen to lob spurious claims of mismanagement of land beyond VBH borders by the incumbants while hiding their own equestrian roots and big business agenda within VBH borders.
Mr. Stieper, you sir are dead on!
Mr. Stieper:
You forgot one very important point in your otherwise very thoughful and detailed analysis. Had Barrington HIlls and owner of this property agreed to a plan for development there would have never been a disconnection of this property from Barrngton Hills.
Unlike Hoffman Estates, there would have been no opportunity for this property owner to obtain TIF financing if developed in Barington Hills because Barrington Hills does not have suficent tax base to shift TIF financial burden onto.
No, you cannot blame Village President McLaughlin for current situation on this now Hoffman Estates property. The blame lies solely with former Village President and his Board at the time which included Elaine Ramesh.
The decision by Barrington Hills elected officials to try and bully this owner into submission in court was naive employing a legal gimmick. The obvious strategy should have been to engage in thoughtful negotiation from a realistic position for an acceptable development. This would have yielded significant tax revenue to Barrington Hills and we could have controlled our border. We presently find ourseles where we are today because of poor past villlage leadership.
As far as 2017 candidates for village office are concerned, this issue has everything to do with Ms.Ramesh and nothing to do with Mr. McLaughlin, Ms. Konicek-Hannigan and remaining 2017 candidates for village office.
So true. See Herald article from 2009 clearly setting forth how this Abboud debacle went down: http://prev.dailyherald.com/story/print/?id=335632