The Lawndale Alliance

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North Lawndale Community News

Training Session
Saturday afternoon, July 23, 2011
3:00 pm-6:00 pm
10th District Police Station, 3315 West Ogden.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has created a special
Task Force to evaluate Chicago's Tax
Increment Financing (TIF) Program to
determine whether taxpayer dollars are
being used efficiently and to better promote
public and private investment across the
city. The task force advises that TIF funds
are used to build and repair roads and
infrastructure, clean polluted land and put
vacant properties back to productive use,
usually
in
conjunction
with
private
development projects.
In order to improve and strengthen the TIF
program, the Mayor's Task Force needs is
seeking your help! They have created an
interactive
website
for
residents
to
contribute their ideas and give feedback on
how best to improve the TIF program.
This packet will allow us to brainstorm and
discuss issues that are important to you
and give instructions or assistance with
communication this information to the
Mayors Task Force.

Making TIFs Public!

Exercise designed by Jimmy Lee Lard

The Time for TIF Reform is NOW!

Here are topics from the Mayors Task Force website along with their posted comments/responses. In this session
we should explore how this topic impacts our community, determine if there are any comments or responses that
we, as a group or as individuals, should post to the website and be used to create our community agenda to be
presented to the mayor. Use the space provided to respond to any of these topics.

What information about TIFs would you like to be made

available to the public?
Responses: 4

Views: 133

COMMENTS:
1. - TIF revenues/expenses by year for each TIF district going back ti its creation
- Show TIF activity by ward - going back to creation of any TIF in that ward
- Tool to type in your address and get any relevant TIF info if your property is a TIF for current year, then option to review activity for past years
- Searchable database of all projects that have received TIF dollars - name of project,
owner of company, description of work done, date of work, location of work, relevant
purchase order numbers and check numbers
- Make all this data available in multiple formats so citizens can download and repurpose data easily for apps and other publishing projects

Exercise designed by Jimmy Lee Lard

2. These are great suggestions. I would also add that there should be information on
how many jobs were promised to be retained or created by each project and whether
or not those commitments have been met yet.

3. I would also like to see if any project funds have been subject to claw backs because
they have not lived up to their commitments.

4. I'd like the City of Chicago to comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act in all of it's
business, including TIF-related business.
All meetings between public officials should:
- all meetings between public officials be open to public except in stated exceptions
under the law
- all meetings take complete minutes and post them in timely manner online
- all meetings doing public business have a quorum of members present
- committee or council meetings that can go private under exceptions make vote
publicly to take the business private
Unlike junior high student government around the world, the city council consistently
fails to keep and publish minutes of it's activities.
I would not only like the City of Chicago to make this information public, I expect it
because it's the law.

Exercise designed by Jimmy Lee Lard

IL Attorney General - Open Meetings Act

http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/government/openmeet.pdf
ChicagoTalks.com/Beachwoodreporter.com - May 19, 2008:
"More than two-thirds of Chicagos City Council committees consistently break Illinois law by keeping inadequate records that make it difficult
if not impossible for the public to get even the most basic information about how its government works harming citizens and the democratic
process, experts say.

An investigation by Chicago Talks and published jointly with The Beachwood Reporter found that 14 of the citys 19 committees routinely
violated the Open Meetings Act over a four-month period by not keeping adequate written records of their meetings.

Keeping accurate minutes is crucial to ensuring openness in government, said Heather Kimmons, assistant public access counselor for Illinois
Attorney General Lisa Madigan."

5. Your Comment/Response:
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Exercise designed by Jimmy Lee Lard

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How can the city improve the downloadable TIF data that
already exists online?
Responses: 1

Views: 59

Comments/Responses:
1. Create a tool that would show you:
- TIF revenues/expenses by year for each TIF district going back ti its creation
- Show TIF activity by ward - going back to creation of any TIF in that ward
- Tool to type in your address and get any relevant TIF info if your property is a TIF for current year, then option to review activity for past years
- Searchable database of all projects that have received TIF dollars - name of project,
owner of company, description of work done, date of work, location of work, relevant
purchase order numbers and check numbers

Exercise designed by Jimmy Lee Lard

- Make all this data available in multiple formats so citizens can download and repurpose data easily for apps and other publishing projects

2. Your Comment/Response:
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Exercise designed by Jimmy Lee Lard