2-27-07 Election and 2-13-07 City Council Meeting
Please vote Tuesday, February 27, 2007 for the one thing on the ballot: tax referendum for the Morton High Schools. Whether you want your taxes increased or not, please vote. This is about education and taxes.

Getting on to the February 13, 2007 City Council Meeting:

The Council voted to approve $346,000.00 for Mike & Sons out of TIF monies. Mike & Sons is located on Ogden and is near Lombard. It appears the Mayor is going to veto this at the next meeting.

The Council approved the City's share of the Berwyn Develpment Corporation's budget.

The Retail Overlay District for the Depot Disrict and Cermak Road will have a public hearing.

The ordinance approving the automated traffic law enforcement system was finally passed.

A zoning variance was approved by a 5-3 vote for property at Ridgeland and 16th. I am deadset against this. The owner wants a restaurant and coffee shope, and ultimately, a liquor license. The owner owns an adjacent business and in my humble opinion, is not a good neighbor with the residents.

Just as we are about to have an amended overlay retail district established on Cermak, the Council, again 5-3, approved a real estate office within 500 feet of another real estate office. Bad precedent. I want retail.

The Public Works Director was granted permission to put an ad out in the public to hire a Traffic Engineer, which would be Berwyn's first. Badly needed.

The Police Chief wants to hire 5 new radio operators. Last year, the radio operators, who handle 315,000 calls a year, calls that are 911, 311, and any other call that goes through the Police Department. 2 people work at any one time. The Chief wants three people. If you have encountered a rude or short radio operator, now you know why. As we work on the budget, we shall see if we have the monies.

That is about it.

Remember, citywide neighborhood watch meeting at 7 pm, at the Police Station, on February 28, 2007. Whether you are a captain or not, these are generally very informative meetings.
- posted by Mark @ 5:40 PM