Morton Grove (east of the tracks) is a toilet...

A couple of questions and observations;
1) If folks paid the fees and fines they owed there would be no problem with their tax refunds.
2) Since Morton Grove, (like all other governmental entities), operate by the use of tax dollars and fees and fines, those who fail to pay are shifting the burden to their neighbors who DO pay what is owed.
3) Is Morton Grove the only local community that does this?
4) The only problem I have is the idea of posting debtor names on the Village web site. Sounds more like a shaming device rather than a service to debtors. I would suggest that the administration rethink this idea and give those in arrears a different, less public notification.

As usual, Patch's article lacks some depth. To find out which other communities are taking a part in this program (or currently testing it), read this: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-07/news/ct-tl-morton-grove-debt-recovery-20130107_1_local-debt-recovery-program-morton-grove-utility-bills

@Harry Gio -- your comments (here and on other posts) add NOTHING to the conversation. It may be best to keep them to yourself.

Morton Groves leaders should all be imprisoned for the damage they have done to the people of the village. This is just another example of the Hitler attitude they have. Instead of levying nickel and dime fines upon the good people of the village that are just trying to survive, they sit up in bed at night thinking of laws and regulations that will impose fines and fees on the already over taxed residents as to support the bureaucratic monster they struggle to keep alive on the backs of the village residents. A prime example of this was the Loss of ABT . For those of you who are unaware ABT purchased the property to expand in Morton Grove , The Village Idiots refused to grant permission to expand the store, Abt had a bond for the existing store that was underwritten by Morton Grove when the Village refused to allow the expansion. ABT stated they would be moving , The village thought they had ABT by the shorts because of the bond , Shortly after that meeting ABT paid the bond , purchased property in Glen view and kissed The village IDIOTS good bye along with all the sales tax revenue !!

Lets hit the flush handle and dump all of the Village IDIOTS!

For those who don't know who the vililage idiots are, it is the Action Party. They continue to screw us up in more ways than you can imagine. The Action Party trys to
cover up their actions with ABT and the subsequent screw up of the Waukegan Rd.
TIF that cost the village big bucks with very little to show for it.
I disagree with Pat about the sequence of the move of ABT. It was only after ABT was getting no where with Morton Grove, that they started looking elsewhere for
another location. If MG had accomodated them, they would not have looked elsewhere, in the first place. I don't care if this ABT issue happened 10 years ago.
The Action Party has not changed their policies and has continued to screw up the village over the years. Different faces, but the same philosophy.

Please note this article has been updated with 16 other local governments (municipalities, school districts, etc.) using the Illinois Comptroller's Local Debt Recovery Program to seize money owed to the municipality or local government.

Sherwin you diminish your own views by your repetitive restatement of things proven to be inaccurate. Many thinking people do not look at any political party as a savior but look at what has actually happened and dcide on that basis whether leadership, (or lack of it), exists. I am not upset at your blathering, I am amused by it.
FACT: Those who fail to pay fees and fines shift the burden to their neighbors.
FACT: 16 other governmental entities have used the method of collecting fees spoken of in the story.
FACT: ABT wanted 35 acres to expand.
FACT: Such a tract did not, (and does not) exist in the corporate confines of Morton Grove.
FACT: Aside from the fact that Glenview HAD such a site, the government of Glenview made a tax sharing arrangement with ABT to sweeten the deal.

There are some opinions that you hold that deserve respect, (care and husbandry of fruit trees, for example), because you have done your homework and actually know what you are talking about. Political stuff, not so much.

It must be nice to be all knowing and have all the truths at your fingertips. I don't think so. Your mouthing off is also not upsetting to me.
FACT: You lump everyone in the same predicament, that they have no justification to
oppose payment to a village for unwarranted reasons. The villages have
means to retrieve their money that follow due process more closely.
FACT: ABT might have settled for less acerage had Morton Grove been more
accomodating in their negotiations. I think the Action Party played hard
ball with their bond money, so ABT decided to take a walk.
FACT: Morton Grove could have offered tax incentives to ABT to stay. The village
does this all the time, most recently with Culver's Restaurant on Dempster.

Who appointed you as the judge of people's expertese? What are your credentials?

Sherwin you need to chill out or stop sniorting the tree oil.
Your first "fact" is an unsubstantiated ASSumtion that happens, also, to be untrue. At no time did I say folks had no justificattion to oppose unwarranted payments. Conclusion on your part not based in FACT.
Your second "fact" is a baseless opinion that has been contradicted publicly in the press by the ABT family as has the first part of your third "fact". Your conclusion stated with the prefix "I think" is again an opinion not based in FACT.
I find your fourth "fact" particularly amusing considering your numerous previous statements in local media decrying use of incentives to business as "needless giveaways", (remember when you were kvetching over the incentive to Prairie View and stating that you shouldn't have to give tax money to millionaires?). Also, regarding Culvers', they have just passed their one-year anniversary performing as one of the highest sales franchises in the chain and putting around $300,000 in taxes into the village coffers. That's $300,000 that homeowners don't have to pony up. And that is a very important FACT.
Just as an aside, my credentials regarding political matters goes back to my early roots as a union organizer and a long-time political acivist. Regarding your constant political venon, I refer you to Daniel 5:27 (Old Testament)

What you don't say Pat is how much money the village is giving up in lost taxes because of the incentives given to Culvers. Is your figure before or after that loss?
The difference between Prarie View and ABT is that I consider the former a gamble that it will pay back, whereas ABT was an established cash cow for Morton Grove.

I still wonder why you defend the Action Party with such zeal. What's in it for you?
Do you actually believe all these contrived facts you put out?

Concerning the Old Testament, should we add evangelist to your list of credentials?

Pat, you cannot state what the profits are from Culvers without mentioning the discounts they received. If you sell a car at a discount, your profit is less, even if you
claim it is better than having lost the sale.

I still maintain that ABT would not have even changed their mind set to seriously look for a new location had we accomodated them in the first place. Although ABT has more land now, they are not in as advantagous location as they had in Morton
Grove. MG is situated between two expressways, while the Glenview site is somewhat removed from heavy traffic flow and urban areas. I don't think their larger
glitzier location has returned an equal amount on their payout to build it. I think there
is still room for another appliance store in Morton Grove that would have no problem
drawing customers away from ABT.

I think your opposition to the Action Party is only token and you give the appearance of having closer ties to them than you admit. Your so called contributions to MGTV seem way out of line.

I think the theololgy thing is not so minor.

Pat Craig The union Goon : All the lights went on now !!

Look at how the unions have fleeced this state , Pensions, Jobs, and Now they want to hold a gun to our heads to pay for all the backroom deals they made with the thief politicians ! NOW I UNDERSTAND ! Your brainwashing and programming were done to perfection!!

Pat,
Let's hope this is the last word. As far as Culver's, I just wanted to clarify your figure
of how much the village is getting. The village had to sweeten the deal with tax breaks to get them to come in. That has to be factored into the profits. Sure, Culver's is better than nothing, but why are we in such a position where we will have to bribe businesses to come to MG?
I think ABT may have made a bad business decision moving to Glenview. I am not impressed with the fish tank, fancy decor, and private listening rooms. The location is far from ideal, so I think they would have been better off staying in MG. We could have found the space for them. There were huge lots across the street on Waukegan that eventually were sold to car dealerships, at a loss.
I still detect a predjudice in favor of the Action Party. Your criticisms are mild and far
between. You did not mention the recent fiascos with attempting to gobble up a nice
park near Golf and Waukegan and the bru ha ha over bringing Evanston's garbage to
Morton Grove. If not for the firm opposition of residents, those projects would have gone through.

I congratulate you on your assistance to the village. We all contribute in our own ways to make this a better place to live in. I do not see a bright future for MG with
the Action Party maintaining their stranglehold on village administration. A one party
system never works in the interests of the public. There is more to running a village than collecting the garbage and cleaning the snow.
I will take another pass on the theology reference.