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Archive for the ‘Village Government’ Category

HOFFMAN ESTATES NOTICE OF (PLUM FARMS) PUBLIC HEARING JULY 6

Posted in AI, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Data Center, EJ&E/Canadian National, FPDCC, Hoffman Estates, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Plum Farm development, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Unions, Village Government on June 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

 

(Click on image to enlarge)

Notice is hereby given that the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, will hold a Public Hearing pursuant to 65 ILCS 5/11-15.1-3 of the Illinois Municipal Code to consider an Annexation Agreement Amendment by and between the Village of Hoffman Estates and H.E. Holdings, LLC (Owner) related to the property located on the north side of Higgins Road between Canadian National Railway on the west and Illinois Route 59 on the east, consisting of approximately 145 acres. P.I.Ns: Lot 1 (01-28-301-004, 01-33-100-003, 01-33-100-004)

The hearing will be held on Monday, July 6, 2026, at 6:55 p.m. in the Hoffman Estates Municipal Building, 1900 Hassell Road, Hoffman Estates, IL.

The proposed Annexation Agreement Amendment would be an agreement that would terminate the Annexation Agreement dated May 1, 2017, and recorded in Cook County, Illinois, as document number 1712813016.

William D. McLeod
Village President
Board of Trustees
Published in Daily Herald June 18, 2026

Related: “‘Wrong project, wrong place’: Critics push back on rezoning plan for potential Hoffman Estates data center,” “Change.org Petition: ‘Deny Rezoning of Plum Farms In Hoffman Estates’,” “South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie shares an update on Hoffman Estates/Plum Farms Plan Commission meeting,” “Hoffman Estates plan commission rejects rezoning request for possible data center,” “Hoffman Estates Plan Commission rejects zoning change for new data center project,” “Hoffman Estates Plum Farm June 3rd Plan Commission Meeting Essentials,” “After being rejected in Naperville, company could build data center in Hoffman Estates,” “South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie posts information regarding June 3 Hoffman Estates (Plum Farms) Plan Commission meeting,” “(Plum Farms) NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING JUNE 3,” “Hoffman Estates could see third data center campus with sale of Plum Farms property,” “Hoffman Estates approves sewer, water for development of 185 acres west of The Arboretum,” “Hoffman Estates approves tax incentive at routes 59, 72,” “District 220 lawsuit against Hoffman Estates, Plum Farms developers dismissed,” “South Barrington residents sue over Hoffman Estates development,” “Editorial: Listen to agencies that would feel consequences of Hoffman Estates development”

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Special Closed Session Meeting of the Barrington Hills Park District Board Monday, June 22nd

Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Brother, Big Red, Cellular Service, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Financial Statements, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Massbach Hounds, Open Meetings Act, Organizations, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, School Districts, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, WTF on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold a closed session meeting Monday at 6:00 PM. The sole topic on their agenda is:

  • To discuss the purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired pursuant to 2(c)(5) of the Open Meetings Act; and to discuss the setting of a price for sale or lease of property owned by the public body pursuant to 2(c)(6) of the Open Meetings Act

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.

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Male nurse arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting resident of assisted rehab facility in Barrington

Posted in Crime, Lake & McHenry County Scanner on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Olufemi I. Olaifa, 40, of Schaumburg, (inset) was taken into custody after being charged with felony sexual assault of a woman who was a resident of Alden Estates of Barrington, located at 1420 South Barrington Road in Barrington, while he worked at the facility as a nurse. | Background Photo: Google Street View; Inset: Provided

By Sam Borcia | Lake & McHenry County Scanner

Police say they have arrested a male nurse accused of sexually assaulting a female resident while working at an assisted rehabilitation facility in Barrington.

The Barrington Police Department announced Tuesday that they had arrested Olufemi I. Olaifa, 40, of Schaumburg.

The police department received a report on February 22 of a sexual assault at Alden Estates of Barrington, located at 1420 South Barrington Road, according to Barrington Chief of Police David Daigle.

The report involved a 30-year-old female resident of the facility being the victim.

Detectives immediately initiated an investigation and learned that the victim was sexually assaulted by a male nurse who was employed at the facility, Daigle said.

DNA evidence was collected from the victim and submitted to the crime lab for forensic analysis.

Daigle said the results confirmed a DNA match to the suspect, identified as Olaifa.

Report continues here.

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Editorial: Has Chicago learned nothing from Jussie Smollett and his fake hate crime?

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, OP/Ed, Politics, Snowflake Effect on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Jussie Smollett, the actor charged with lying to police about an alleged fabricated attack, is surrounded by media as he waits for a car at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on March 26, 2019. | José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

We have some advice for Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Rev. Michael Pfleger and others who rushed out statements following images of a burning cross in Grant Park circulating online and, naturally, then being amplified by algorithms that feed like blood-thirsty vampires on controversy.

Take a breath and let the police investigate for a day or two before you trot out a statement destined to land in international media and feed someone’s need for publicity. Just tell reporters: We’re going to let the police ascertain the facts first.

Did we learn nothing as a city after the actor Jussie Smollett reported a fake hate crime that he had actually staged himself in downtown Chicago, embarrassing any number of knee-jerk politicians (few of whom later apologized), wasting police time and trashing the city’s reputation all at once? Did that not motivate our leaders to say to their eager spokespeople, “Hang on a minute and let’s find out exactly what happened here?”

Apparently not. In this case, Pritzker immediately opined that the incident “speaks to what happens when the seeds of racism and fascism grow unchecked in our country.”

Then on Monday, WMAQ-Ch. 5 interviewed a 21-year-old college student from Naperville who told the station that he had placed a MAGA hat on top of the burning cross and that he actually was protesting the policies of President Donald Trump and didn’t expect his actions to be viewed in the context in which they were reported. The police now also have a suspect in custody. In other words, the man who talked to NBC 5 said his motivation was the precise opposite of what the governor said this incident represented.

We’ve no idea if that motivation was an after-the-fact invention of the suspect, or his lawyer, or even with certainty that it was the same person (no charges had been filed at press time), but we also know that anytime you see the words “after the image circulated online” in a shocking news story — and there were many such stories about this incident in national and local media, replete with the recounting of historical American inhumanity to man — it is a cue to be suspicious that not everything is as it first might seem.

Also a cue: anything purportedly happening in Chicago involving nooses, burning crosses and the other hateful detritus of America’s shameful past, especially from the South.

Editorial continues here.

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Barrington Countryside Fire District Board scheduled to meet tonight

Posted in Agendas, BCFPD, Open Meetings Act, Pension Funding, Property Taxes, Public Safety on June 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District (BCFPD) Board of Trustees should be meeting tonight at 6:30 PM at 22222 N. Pepper Road in Lake Barrington according to there website that  states, “Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of the month.”

No agenda is posted, and the last time they published an agenda was in April. For more information on District activities and events, call 224-848-4800.

Related: “Website posting requirements for local governments in Illinois”

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Hoffman Estates Village Board of Trustees meet Monday

Posted in AI, BACOG, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Data Center, EJ&E/Canadian National, FPDCC, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Plum Farm development, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Transparency, Village Code on June 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Hoffman Estates Board of trustees will meet Monday at 7 PM at 1900 Hassell Road.

As previously reported, “(The Plum Farms) data center development will not appear on the agenda of Monday’s village board meeting.” However, Friday South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie posted:

“The Plum Farms property zoning on rt 59 and 72 across from the Woods of South Barrington is not presently on the schedule for the Village Board meeting in Hoffman Estates on Monday, but while Mayor McCleod and the Hoffman Estates Trustees decide whether or not to take the Plan Commissions recommendation against the change of zoning allowing a data center, I encourage you to attend their next meeting on Monday the 15th. This gives their leaders time to consider residents voices while contemplating the way they will vote.”

A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here. Monday’s meeting will be available live via YouTube and the link can be found here.

Related: “Hoffman Estates board won’t consider rezoning for potential data center Monday”

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Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 4)

Posted in Aunt Blabby, BACOG, Clown Car, Data Center, Deception, Ethics, Hoffman Estates, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lennie, One Barrington Hills, OP/Ed, Plan Commission, Plum Farm development, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Simple Minds, South Barrington, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Board, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Village President on June 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A list of Barrington Hills trustees who currently follow The Barrington Hills Observer posts on Facebook.

On Saturday, May 23rd, around 7:30 AM, we posted, “(Plum Farms) NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING JUNE 3,” shortly after we received a copy of a notice sign posted on Old Sutton Road. That post was sent to all subscribers of this publication’s website and all those following our Facebook page, including those Trustees pictured above.

Subsequent to our posting of the Hoffman Estates Plum Farms notice, we followed up with subtle hints to our Board of Trustees (BOT) to take action, including:

Shortly after the Hoffman Estates Plum Farms meeting ended on June 3rd, CBS News reported, “Hoffman Estates Plan Commission rejects zoning change for new data center project.” The next day, the Daily Herald reported, “Hoffman Estates plan commission rejects rezoning request for possible data center,” and residents were quick to react to the news commenting:

  • “NOT A SINGLE MEMBER OF THE BARRINGTON HILLS BOARD OF TRUSTEES WAS THERE THAT I SAW. WOW!!!!!”
  • “Where was the leadership from Barrington Hills? No one from the Board was there. Paula (McCombie)and the numerous South Barrington Trustees were there and stayed for the entire meeting. Grateful for their support.”

We also posted, “South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie shares an update on Hoffman Estates/Plum Farms Plan Commission meeting,” last Friday, June 5th, but outside of the hearing notice posted on the Village Facebook page, residents heard absolutely nothing from our elected trustees.

Then on Monday, June 8th, our Village posted, “UPDATE: HOFFMAN ESTATES PLUM FARMS REZONING REQUEST” on their Facebook page (See “Village Board once again tests our tolerance for fabrications (BS)”) that included a letter from Brian Cecola that was clearly backdated to June 2nd, since:

  • No one is copied on the letter. That is unheard of considering the number of interested parties in the matter.
  • No one read the letter aloud at the Hoffman Estates Plum Farms hearing.
  • The letter would have been “shouted out” via social media and a press release June 2nd given the embarrassing position Cecola put himself in when he fronted a, “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board,” next to Pond Gate last December that he caught Hell for.

It is well known that Mr. Cecola is not the sharpest tack in the box. However, he can be smart from time to time.  This is not one of those times and he has insulted the intelligence of residents and his peers.

As for not one member of our Board of Trustees attending the well-publicized Plum Farms hearing, shame on them. There is no excuse.

But to a person, BOT members will whine, “But the Director of Administration (Anna Paul) went to the meeting.” The problem is she is not an elected official of the Village of Barrington Hills. They need to be reminded she has no standing to act on behalf of the Village of Barrington Hills, nor does she present herself that way. The BOT, unfortunately, seems to conveniently forget this.

This Board must show up and speak their mind at the next Plum Farms meeting which may be July 6th. Not to do so would likely decimate any remaining credibility they may have among many residents.

Related: “Village Board once again tests our tolerance for fabrications (BS),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Follow-up),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 3),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 2),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 1),” “7 things to know about Illinois data centers,” “Data Center group concerned over pause,” “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”

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‘Twenty years to grow and 20 minutes to cut down’: Barrington streetscape improvements irk some

Posted in Audubon Society, Daily Caller, Fools and their money, FUBAR, Politics, Tree Preservation Ordinance on June 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A picture of the corner of Cook and Station streets shows a tree that was recently taken down as part of the Barrington streetscape improvements. | Courtesy of Bill Hartman

By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald

The owner and manager of a downtown Barrington building are upset that a mature tree was cut down during the village’s streetscape improvements around Cook Street Plaza.

Holly McClintock, who owns the plaza near Cook and Station streets, and Kristin Beecher, who manages it and lives above Cook Street Coffee, which is part of the development, confronted the village board Monday, as did another concerned resident, Bill Hartman.

Beecher and McClintock said the village the tree, located on the east side of Cook Street Coffee at Cook and Station streets, could stay.

“We were told the tree would stay,” Beecher said. “Twenty years to grow and 20 minutes to cut down.”

Beecher said she was told May 15 the tree needed to come down, but she scheduled a meeting with village officials the next business day to discuss it. Before the meeting could be held, she said, a crew cut it down. She said a street superintend

The corner of Cook and Station streets, the former location of a tree recently removed as part of ongoing streetscape improvements. | Steve Zalusky/szalusky@dailyherald.com

In its place the village is building a seat wall where downtown visitors can sit. Beecher is concerned new trees will struggle to grow within the four-foot-deep fixture.

Article continues here.

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Barrington Hills Park District (Riding Cult) meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Countryside Elementary School, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Look For The Union Label, Open Meetings Act, Plum Farm development, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, The Other Half, Topics Of Interest, Unions, Village Government on June 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

 

The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold their monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 6:00 PM. Some topics on their agenda include:

  • Advisory Committee Report
  • Plum Grove Farms* Data Center
  • Administrator’s Report
  • Trainer Registrations
  • Facility Rentals (RCBH rider fitness class)

A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.

*It’s actually, “Plum Farms.”  It’s so cute when they try, though.

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Village Adjudication Hearing(s) today

Posted in Land Use, Village Attorney, Village Code on June 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The monthly Village Adjudication Hearing(s) is scheduled for today at 11 AM in the MacArthur Board Room.

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