For Tutty, the saddest part of the Stephenson County Board's proposal to build water and sewer for a public utility owned by the City of Freeport is knowing how many more things this money could be used for that would actually benefit residents of Stephenson County and Freeport rather than spending millions of dollars on something just not necessary.
Tutty is somewhat familiar with the rules regarding this federal money coming courtesy of the American Rescue Plan Act, known as ARPA funding. There are 36-pages of triple-column text regarding how this funding may be used.
Using this money for a speculative economic development project is clearly not what these funds were designed to provide.
How many lead water service lines are there yet in Stephenson County? This money could be used to assess the water systems throughout Stephenson County and upgrade the places found to be most problematic. How many problems within Stephenson County communities could be addressed with this funding rather than funding a project that's just not necessary? Replacing lead service lines is constantly cited as a priority in the rules mentioned above. This issue, because of the inherent public health risks for children, should rank far above an unnecessary and speculative economic development project.
The City of Freeport itself has no business building out a water and sewer system that is constantly under duress. How can you fight a major fire in the Arcade neighborhood with four-inch water mains? Our water and sewer system in Tutty's Town has needs that will not be addressed by making the system larger. Especially in an area where there are so very few potential new users.
The money could be used to expand broad band internet across our rural county, do some things that are an actual benefit for our friends and neighbors. Just do a few Google searches and see what other counties in Illinois are doing with ARPA funds to benefit their residents.
It's so sad, before any county board members or city council member even had a chance to look around their neighborhoods and assess their local needs, the Greater Freeport Partnership hijacked any potential talk of using this money for anything more than a pie-in-the-sky economic development project.
They've been holding secret meetings closed to members of the Stephenson County Board and Freeport City Council, much less the general public. There are no meeting minutes or official calculations to review of how they arrived at their $6 million figure. Tutty believes that figure has no basis in any actual calculation of cost, that number was simply used to induce an affirmative vote from the Stephenson County Board and now the Freeport City Council.
Basically, the Greater Freeport Partnership is being used as end run around Illinois statutes that require openness of government, while the county board and city council, shrug their shoulders.
Other communities in Stephenson County should be as much the beneficiaries of these funds, they could be better used to upgrade the water and sewer systems in Stephenson County that currently exist. Surely there are some areas that are under duress and could use some attention. The existing population needs their necessities much more than an unnecessary build out of Freeport water and sewer lines.
Can you imagine that? A Stephenson County Board and a Freeport City Council that actually put their constituents in front of the Greater Freeport Partnership and what is nothing more than a speculative (at best) project that could very easily do more to shovel another scoop of dirt on top of Freeport than remedy any current problem. And that is terribly sad in Tutty's opinion.
As always, yours in honesty, Tutty Baker, tutty.baker@gmail.com
Ghosts of Millstone Crossing past, present & future. Past politicians throwing $ in the air purchasing land with no utilities and a mantra of "Purchase it and they will come,er Trim-Rite, present politico-business shenanigans, and future raised taxes, water & sewer bill's on the poor shmoos living here. Shame on all you Ebenezers doing this to us.
ReplyDeleteWell said Tutty
ReplyDeleteToo bad our community leaders are not interested in redeveloping existing sectors of our community who have paid property taxes for maintenance, better lighting and other upgrades like water retention areas to alleviate flooding sewer backups, and repairing roads, etc.
Can you imagine that? A Stephenson County Board and a Freeport City Council that actually put their constituents in front of the Greater Freeport Partnership, i seen this comment as if you put any sort of bank or faith in the Greater Freeport partnership, which this organisation was put together by your EX City Manager, at the cost of payroll alone of 1/2 a million or $500,000.00 a year and the 4 orginisations in the greater freeport partnership all run in the red and that money is also paid for by the tax payers at the whopping total amount of alomost $750,000.00 dollars that would be 3/4 million dollars a year. good lord freeport fix some streets for gods sake. do something, since your acting like your made of money!!!
ReplyDelete