Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The district brokered a deal with former Lyons Township Treasurer Robert Healy that relieved it of certain fees to the school treasurer’s office—until now, according to a Better Government Association report.
Embattled former Lyons Township Treasurer Robert Healy resigned last year amid allegations he misused more than $500,000 worth of sick, vacation and personal time. Now the Better Government Association (BGA) is saying that a decade-old deal he made with Lyons Township District 204 could end up costing the district more than $2 million in unpaid fees. The report, published Monday, said that Healy made an arrangement with District 204 that allowed it to take a pass on certain administrative fees charged to other Lyons Township districts. The district uses its own staff to perform most payroll, billing and bookkeeping tasks. But according to the BGA, state law requires the district to pay these fees even if it handles the jobs in-house. …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The organization claims President Toni Preckwinkle's office refused to divulge information on dozens of her appointments to various county positions.
The Better Government Association (BGA) is suing President Toni Preckwinkle’s Cook County government for denying a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in January, according to the BGA. The BGA’s denied FOIA request asked for names and addresses of dozens of Cook County board members and commissioners appointed by Preckwinkle. Her office refused to respond after filing for an extension because disclosure of the information “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” according to the BGA. Preckwinkle’s office did not respond to multiple attempts seeking explanation for the refusal. “It’s clear this information doesn’t belong to the County Board president – it belongs to the public, and she should turn it over…
Saturday, December 22, 2012
The bad news: Job growth in Illinois is too slow, and prison inmates probably watch better TV than you. The good news: Your lawmaker is one of the highest paid in the nation.
Feeling all warm and full of good cheer? Bah! Here's a little something to satisfy the Scrooge in you before the spirit of Christmas takes hold. We Need More Jobs: At 8.7 percent, the Illinois unemployment rate is 1 percent above the national rate. And job creation is improving at a faster clip all around us, in Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa and Missouri, on average, according to Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner at the Illinois Policy Institute. "The reality is Illinois’ poor policies aren't allowing the state to participate fully in the national recovery. If only Illinois’ unemployment rate were equal to the average of its neighbors, 100,000 more Illinoisans would be working. Yes, jobs are slowly returning to the state, but that’s …
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Better Government Association accuses the suburban bus agency of stonewalling on safety-related documents.
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Friday, March 23, 2012
The suburban bus company Pace is being sued for withholding information about bus accidents, and alcohol and drug testing of bus drivers. The suit, filed March 21 by the Better Government Association (BGA), alleges Pace violated the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in refusing to turn over documents related to bus accidents, and alcohol and drug testing of bus drivers that the BGA has requested. The BGA is a nonprofit, non-partisan watchdog group. “Pace is a taxpayer-supported agency,” said BGA President and CEO Andy Shaw. “It shows a remarkable degree of arrogance to refuse to release documents that are so clearly in the public realm—and that other agencies have, at times, turned over without even a formal FOIA request." “The …
Joseph R. Martan
11:47 am on Thursday, May 9, 2013
May I suggest that our local politicos start working on some specialized legislation to forestall having to pay this money - along the lines of that special legislation that the developer of Timber Trails got to forestall local monies being used to buy some of the real estate to save some trees. Otherwise, perhaps Dist. 204 should sue Mr. Healy if the deal was bogus. more ›