The November Six

A Hat Tip goes to Jason Schaumburg, managing editor of the Daily Chronicle. Back in May, when emotions were running high about the County Board’s approval of Waste Management’s siting application Schaumburg  blogged Election Might Best Tell Landfill Tale (worth the fee). He opined voters might ultimately place the priority of the landfill decision with their November ballot.

Thus, the November Six.

Three of the six incumbents who voted to approve the landfill application are unopposed: John T. Hulseberg (District 4), Sally DeFauw (District 7), and Marlene D. Allen (District 12).

Michael Haines (District 2), is being challenged by Russell Deverell; Steve Walt (District 6), is being challenged by Bob Brown;  and Julia Fauci (District 9), is being challenged by Samuel-Louis Bandy Jr. Each of the challengers have stated they would not have supported the landfill expansion.

There’s a lot of issues facing DeKalb County. Some say a vote should not be cast on a single issue. Others say the landfill vote is far more than a single issue.

A representative government, an elected board, was in effect quarantined from their constituents and placed in a quasi-judicial role to determine whether a major corporation with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake met nine criteria in order to expand the landfill in Cortland by sevenfold. The landfill sits at the headwaters of the branch of the Kishwaukee River that runs through Sycamore. It sits about 1/4 mile from a grade school. Decisions in consideration of these and many other life-safety factors should not be made by “judges” with obvious conflicts of interest.

From the February 24, 2009 minutes of the DeKalb County Board Host Community Agreement Workshop Meeting (see pages 13-15):

Mr. Addleman opened up the discussion to questions at this point in the workshop.

Mr. Stoddard asked if there were a potential ground water contamination, what kind of remediation would there be?

Mr. Addleman said that if there was contamination they would do a quarterly baseline determination and they test the water for a broad array of parameters. The County’s consultant, Patrick Engineering, asked for more items to be added, which increases the parameters and exceeds Federal Guidelines and will support it.

Mr. Hoekstra said that there are 27 groundwater-monitoring wells on the site now. They measure in parts per million and sometimes per billion.

Mr. Addleman said that ninety (90) feet of clay is under the new section that they have chosen, which is very good.

Ms. Julia Fauci asked if the Forest Preserve was getting $100,000 in the agreement?

Mr. Bockman, DeKalb County Administrator, said yes, it is in the contract.

Mr. Addleman pointed out that the elevation top height is at 945’ above sea level currently and that the new area will be at 980’ at some points, but not all.

Mr. Hulseberg asked about recycling support, Section 22, page 18, first sentence “….at such time as active operations of the landfill cease. Does that mean that at sometime before the life of the landfill has been reached, Waste Management decides to end its recycling program and terminate it? […]

Where was Fauci’s interest?

Of the November Six, Julia Fauci’s race has drawn the most attention. She is, according to reports, considering filing a lawsuit against Save DeKalb County, a grassroots organization that is asking voters to select challengers over incumbents for the open seats on the county board. Fauci is accusing the group of using last minute smear tactics by reminding 9th District residents of her pro-landfill expansion vote.

Save DeKalb County (official website and Facebook page) appears to be promoting all challengers over all incumbents on the County Board. They are promoting Mark Pietrowski over Ken Andersen, Julia Fullerton over Eileen Dubin, and James Patrick Colford over John Gudmunson — even though those three incumbents voted against the landfill expansion application.

A flier distributed in parts but not all of the 9th District says:

An acclaimed “environmentalist”, Fauci sold out the county to allow the dump to take 17 Northern Illinois counties’ trash in Cortland and took dump money to fund her pet project, “The Go Green Initiative” making it one of the largest landfills in the Chicagoland area.

According to a report in the Daily Chronicle, Waste Management of Illinois agrees with Fauci.

“Any suggestion that Waste Management of Illinois provided funds to a county board member for any reason is totally irresponsible and absolutely false,” the statement from the company reads. “The implication – apparently contained in a campaign flier – does a disservice to DeKalb County voters and reflects badly on anyone who would be behind it or connected to it.

Voters ultimately will decide who did them a greater disservice — the board members who voted for the landfill expansion or the grassroots group who printed that flier.

Did county board members personally take money in exchange for their vote on the landfill siting application? Of course not. Its ludicrous to entertain such a false notion.

But did some of the county board members allow their  search for that elusive “funding channel” needed for county projects near and dear to their hearts prejudice their thinking in the siting application process?

From the minutes of the October 7, 2009 DeKalb County Board Finance Committee meeting (the quasi-judicial Siting Application Hearing was not conducted until beginning March 11, 2010):

Mr. Newport asked what are the possibilities of issuing the jail bonds early in order to capture lower interest rates?

Mr. Hoecker said that you would have to come up with a referendum and come up with a source in order to pay for the $30 million project. He said that $1.2 million has been determined enough for a $14 million bond issuance. He said that he would have to come up with an additional $1.6 or $1.8 million annually.

Mr. Bockman said that this was the main driver for this proposal because there was a lack of an identified revenue source. He said another thing that will happen soon is that all of the judicial offices in the County will begin discussions on jail alternatives.

Chairman Haines said that if the bonds must be issued before January 1, 2011, why not do financing for the jail now since there are cheaper interest rates.

Mr. Bockman said that the hearings for the landfill will begin in early March, if there are no appeals filed, then it could take 15 to 18 months for the State to approve the application. It will be up to Waste Management about when to start making guaranteed payments to the County. They will probably state “pending no appeals.”

Mr. Andersen asked if the County will be receiving monies from taxes on the turbines being constructed?

Mr. Bockman said yes, but not a lot of money will be received by the County. He reminded the committee that this proposal from Mr. Hoecker would be for the expansion of the courthouse and the jail and all of it to be financed without a referendum or raising property taxes.

Voters in at least two elections have rejected referendum questions for funding the jail expansion. Nothing is more intimidating to a local elected official than raising property taxes. Just a reminder.

Since the Board pledged proceeds of the landfill tipping fees to General Obligation debt bonds BEFORE the siting application process was completed there is a financial incentive or need for more garbage or at least maintain an average daily intake of 2,000 tons. Otherwise debt service will require fee and/or tax increases to meet.

How progressive is that?

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Disclosure: Mac McIntyre is an Objector in the appeal case “Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump versus the DeKalb County Board.” He is a “fan” of the Save DeKalb County Facebook page.