Cut Those Property Taxes

What impact with this week’s flood have on Woodstock’s already-depressed housing market?

This week-end I was helping a friend rip up carpet and padding in her townhome, and she told me that a real estate agent had shown up that morning with a prospective buyer. Great timing, eh?

She had notified her own agent of the water damage on Friday afternoon and had asked that there be no showings on the week-end. Apparently, her agent did not notify the buyer’s agent when that agent scheduled the showing or, if the showing was already scheduled, did not notify the buyer’s agent to postpone the showing.

Every seller knows that the buyer’s agent wants a home empty when the prospective buyer is shown the house. There are many reasons for this. Any agent can explain them.

If I were looking at a house and considering its purchase and, when I toured it, I saw recent water damage, I have one four-letter word for the agent, “N-E-X-T!!!”

So, back to the question. How much will this week’s flooding really cost Woodstock homeowners? My guess is, “A bundle.”

When you get your property tax notice, you’d better hot-foot it over to the right County (or Township) Department and file your property tax assessment protest. If your property value dropped $50,000, you’ll want the reduction in assessment and corresponding reduction in property taxes.

The window for contesting property taxes is small. Find out now exactly what the rules are and start preparing your appeal of the assessment. DO IT NOW…

Reckless Driving Complaint

There is a driver on the Tollway last week who is in for a big surprise one day soon. He'll be opening his mail and finding greetings to appear in court on a reckless driving charge.

Last Tuesday I was driving west on the Tollway from Schaumburg, poking along at my usual 55MPH in the right-hand lane. As I watched a car coming up very fast behind me, I wondered at just what point he was going to slow down, since there was heavy traffic in the center lane and no way for him to move over one lane to the left.

Well, surprise, surprise. He didn’t. Instead, he maintained a speed that I estimated at 80MPH (in the 55MPH zone) and he just drove off onto the right shoulder, passed me on the right and pulled back into the roadway.

I thought he might rear-end me and was preparing to mash down on the gas, not that my seven-year-old Beetle has all that much get-up-and-go. The driver displayed utter and wanton disregard for my safety and never slowed down as he came up behind me.

I got a good look at his face as he passed me on the right. At least, he didn’t have those heavily-tinted front side windows. As he went by, I read off his license plate number into a pocket dictator that I keep in the car.

I called the Illinois State Police, whose number I have programmed in my cell phone. Because of the number of rings, I could tell that the dispatcher was busy. She did take his license plate number and vehicle description and said she would put it out on the radio to the troopers.

I had my fingers crossed (it’s hard to drive that way) that a trooper would nab him. I would have stopped, if I had seen the car stopped by a trooper.

On Thursday morning I met with a trooper and filed a complaint. The next step is for the Cook County State’s Attorney to decide whether it’s worth their time to prosecute. If they take the case, then they’ll put together a photo line-up, and I’ll pick him out. I am willing to go to court. There are a lot of violations on the Tollway that get my goat, but this is one of the most serious.

Unfortunately, the Illinois State Police is undermanned and there are few patrol cars on the Tollway or other roads, unless the Special Enforcement Team (SET) is in action.

Of course, if our legislators, in their infinite wisdom, would permit police to use PhotoRadar, then the camera/computer would do the work and issue tickets to violators like that guy.

Hey, I know the biggest problem with PhotoRadar. It would catch too many legislators beating down the highway to Springfield or heading home from a session. (It won't get the Governor, though; he spends $5,800 to fly from Chicago to Springfield. No wonder there isn't any money for the RTA.) Why, gee, don’t we all know that they obey the speed limits? After all, they are sworn to obey the laws of the State they serve, or are they?

Does anyone know what the Oath of Office is for a state legislator?

Floodwaters – Clean! Don't Just Dry.

The website of McHenry County Government contains valuable information about dealing with floodwaters, including how to properly clean up afterwards. Go to http://co.mchenry.il.us, then click on “Flood Information” in the first section, “Announcements and Events”. Then click on Flood Recovery Information and examine the four links there.

Key is avoiding contaminated water or, after contact, cleaning carefully and completely.

It was interesting to read that sewage should not be pumped out into a yard or street. There may have been no alternative last week, but who has said a word about this? If you have pumped-out sewage in your yard or street, read this information, call the Health Department, and find out what to do about it. Now! Call 815-334-4510.

It is also important to clean thoroughly the flooded areas, not just turn on fans to dry up the water. Clean…. As with warm soapy water AND disinfectants. The information is not repeated here. Read it for yourself on the County's website and print it out.

There is risk to yourself and to others in your home. Don’t skimp on the clean-up.

City Position on Flooding

The City’s press release (read it at www.woodstockil.gov) of August 8, 2007, by Public Works Director John Isbell, includes the following statement, “As this is considered an event of nature, damage claims to homes should be directed to an individual’s homeowners insurance.” If you fall for this one, call me right away; I’ve still got a bridge in New York I’d like to sell you.

This statement followed Mayor Pro Tem Webster’s explanation about a transformer outage and a malfunction of a sanitary sewer lift station near Greenwood and Tappan Streets.

I’ll agree that 6-7” of rain in seven hours is an “event of nature.” Ralph Webster explained what happened at the transformer. The back-up generator did not kick in because its wiring scheme did not recognize the primary generator’s failure. Ralph was candid and clear about exactly what happened. He didn’t pussyfoot around about it. There was no smoke-and-mirrors routine. So the important question is, Was this a wiring plan defect? Did no one anticipate the circumstances under which the primary generator could fail and prevent the back-up from kicking in?

I would urge residents to consider that some of the flooding damage was NOT an “event of nature.” I suspect the City is liable for a not-insignificant amount of damage to some homes. Sure, talk to your insurance claims representative, and you might want to get an opinion from your own attorney.

I’m not an attorney and do not give legal advice. Ask your attorney whether the City is responsible for any part (or all) of your specific loss. If you believe the City is liable, file your claim with the City.

There were plenty of irate homeowners at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. There may be many more at the August 21 City Council meeting.

Water, water – everywhere…

Was there a little water in Woodstock today? No. There was a LOT of water!!!

Five-to-seven inches of rain fell in Woodstock in a relatively short period of time, perhaps six hours. And what did this mean? Flooded basements, backed up sewers – like, INSIDE the house. Flooded streets. And lots of damage!

Several families attended this evening’s City Council meeting. Many, many more would have been there, but they were probably pumping out basements and yards, dealing with ruined household furnishings, cars that had been submerged, displaced family members, electricity and gas shut off for safety, spoiled food and hastily arranged substitute lodging.

And lost income, due to time taken off from work at short notice.

Some families have been dealing with flooding in Woodstock for years and are very frustrated with years of empty promises, according to comments made to the City Council this evening.

Sewer back-ups and flooding for years were problems presented by residents on the odd side of the street in the 400 block of West Judd Street and the even side of the street in the 400 block of West Jackson Street. Similar problems were presented by residents on East Todd and Jewett Streets.

Did you see “Lake Woodstock” today, a/k/a Raintree Park. Many may not know that it is a planned retention “pond”; i.e., it collects run-off. The only problem is that it filled today, and high water found a low spot toward the west end of the berm near Lake Street, on the east side of the railroad tracks, and water poured through the low spot into back yards of houses on East Calhoun Street.

The “low spot” was not easily visible to the untrained eye of joggers and park users before the pond filled. Perhaps it wasn’t even visible to residents and property owners on the side of the berm away from Raintree Park. But it was certainly visible early this morning, when the retention pond was full. While water was still a foot from the top of most of the berm, it found the low spot and overflowed through the dip. How did it ever happen that the berm (or dam) was constructed with a low spot, rather than making the top level throughout?

Very soon the City’s website at www.woodstockil.gov will contain a statement by the City about today’s disaster. Be sure to read it.

Were you affected by flooding? Have you had ongoing and unresolved problems of flooding over the years? Let’s hear about them.

Paved Parkway - Bad Precedent?

The Woodstock City Council has started down a slippery slope by approving a request from a homeowner to pave the parking area in front of his house that is in the City’s right-of-way. Often referred to as “parkway” this is the section of ground between the street and a sidewalk. The grass thereon is maintained by the homeowner and creates a buffer between the sidewalk and street.

As we all know, and as some are learning after visits from the City’s Code Enforcement Officer, it is illegal to park a vehicle in the parkway. Although it appears to be the homeowner’s private property, it is – sort of. It is subject to the City’s right-of-way, or easement, on the private land of the homeowner. This is why he must cut the grass there but cannot park a vehicle there.

This changed recently for the property at 421 Stewart Street, when the City Council on May 1, 2007, approved an amendment to the City Code at Title 5, Chapter 3, Section 13.E.3.(5)(A), (E) and (G).

The property owner at 421 Stewart Street has paved (with asphalt) the parkway in front of his house, so that he can park two light trucks there. When I drove by this morning, the two trucks were there. No vehicle was parked in the driveway, and the garage door was closed, so I could not see whether there was a vehicle in the garage. Certainly, at least one of the trucks could be parked in the regular driveway, and maybe the other could be parked at the person’s business.

This is a dangerous precedent in Woodstock. Will every property owner who wants almost-street parking overnight now approach the City Council and say, “Well, you let him do it on Stewart Street”?

The new ordinance allows the owner, until June 1, 2009, to park two light trucks there overnight and not to be subject to the 30-minute parking restriction between 2:00-6:00AM. So, what will happen on June 1, 2009? You can bet that the property owner will be back at the City Council early in 2009 to request an extension or a permanent order.

What will happen if the City Council refuses? Nothing is the special ordinance for this property owner requires him to tear up the asphalt and put in grass again. How did they slip up on this one? That would have been an easy condition to impose, and now it’s too late. The neighbors are stuck with the patch of asphalt where there used to be grass.

Joggers in Streets

A growing problem in Woodstock, and perhaps elsewhere, is with joggers who run in City streets and interfere with traffic. Recently I emailed Chief Robert Lowen and he replied that his officers do what they can to address this issue.

Sunday mornings seem to be a popular time for joggers on West South Street. This morning a woman was running west on W. South Street near Throop. She was running in the street against traffic, although there was a full sidewalk to her immediate left.

I watched as a Woodstock police car drove right past her at 8:30AM without stopping.

There are many reasons why an officer might not stop to tell a jogger to get out of the street…

He could have been enroute to a call. (Even so, he could have stopped and called out to her to use the sidewalk.)
He didn’t see her.
He didn’t think it was very important to tell her to get out of the street.
He knew it wouldn’t do any good to tell her to get out of the street; she’d just return to the street after he drove on.
His supervisor might not back him up.
The Department might not back him up.
He might have to write her a Warning.
She might call the P.D. to complain about harassment.

A few minutes later another jogger was running east in South Street with the flow of traffic in front of the high school.

What is needed is enforcement and publicity. Police officers should stop and make contact with the joggers, explain the dangers of their running in the street, and issue them a written Warning. The Police Department should periodically issue public statements on this topic and provide the local media with the numbers of contacts made - perhaps even invite a photographer to ride around on a Sunday morning and let him/her photograph the officer talking a jogger.

I didn't bother to call WPD about this; it seems to me that it should just be handled by the officer who just drives by and sees it. Since the Chief had just told me in July that his officers do address this issue (and I assume that officers at roll call were told to keep an eye out for joggers in the streets), I wondered why the officer drove right by the jogger without slowing.

Do you have a concern that you would like Chief Lowen to know about? Email him at policedept@woodstockil.gov and let him know about problems. Chief Lowen stated at one of his first monthly Coffees with the Chief (2nd Monday of the month, 7:00PM, at police headquarters) that the identity of a resident would not be released when an officer responded to a resident’s complaint. Ex., if a neighbor has a loud party or a late-night loud party, the officer is not to say who complained.