Why I Oughta...

If you live in Elmhurst and opened your utility bill recently, you probably saw this notice in the envelope that calls out the tax increases you're about to be hit with.  They call it a 'Utility Bill Rate Increase', but let's all call it what it is:  Government reaching into your pocket and taking more of your money for no new services. This increase is a 12.6% increase for this year, but if you read closely, they say that there are EVEN MORE tax increases coming in the next few years.  They say, they *might* not be all the way up to 12.6%, but you can bet they'll be near 10% next year and the year after and the year after. Don't even get me started with the sewer costs.  How does the City figure your sewer bill?  Welp, they just take the consumption amount of water and charge you that rate for sewer fees.  Even if it all doesn't go down the drain.  Water your grass or garden?  That water isn't going in the sewer is it?  Nope.  Doesn't matter.

Thanks to Alderman Dannee Polomsky who posted this above on her public Facebook Fan Page, I stumbled onto the new City of Elmhurst website . At first blush, it appears to be a pretty big improvement in terms of pure looks, but they've also added some nice functionality and elevated the 'search box' to speed up the user experience and get people where they want to go faster.  Also...they've made the new site responsive, so when you are heading there on your mobile device - as we are all wont to do more and more these days - the site responds to your device size and presents you with a format that works on mobile.  That *would* have been a big miss in this redesign if they didn't get right, imho. The photography they're using on the page is neat - as there's a few drone shots showing a pretty unique perspective to town and they've done a good job of highlighting the town. Also, you can see some highlighted items across the main part of the site inc

News comes today that the City of Elmhurst is pushing ahead with ANOTHER tax increase that will cost those of us in town even more money for the exact same service.   This time it is a 8% increase in the cost of both water AND sewer.  I understand the realities of the revenue/cost situation at City Hall and that the City has said that they can't cut any more (I'm skeptical of that) and they'll (of course) point the finger at others - in this case the DuPage Water Commission - as the real bad guy.  They'll say, "Oh...don't blame us!  The DuPage Water Commission is MAKING us do this!"  What happened to "The Buck Stops Here"?  Apparently that's not the approach of Elmhurst Mayor Pete DiCianni.  Instead, he's going to jam through another tax increase and not loose any sleep over it. I think it is time for the City to STOP being disingenuous with the pricing of water and sewer fees - and this could have been the right time for the move. 

With the election less than 30 days away, it is time for everyone in Elmhurst to get focused on the upcoming votes we're all facing.  Like it or hate it, EVERYONE in Elmhurst needs to care about what the City Council will choose to do in the coming years.  Raising our taxes, solving the flooding issues, keeping us safe, and getting rid of the skunks are all concerns we have.  On April 5th, 2011, we can start to make choices about our representatives at City Hall who are willing to listen to our concerns and bring our values to the City Council. Fortunately for me (and...for you, too!) , Dannee Polomsky, one of my neighbors is running for Alderman of the 3rd Ward in Elmhurst.  I've decided to support her and her campaign because I believe she'd do a great job for our neighborhood.  I recently wrote a letter to the editor supporting her campaign and sent it around to various publications including Elmhurst Patch - who ran it on Friday .  (Thanks Patch team!)  I think I have