Arcola Township Defending FOIA Lawsuit –

I was made aware of this site by a friend a few days ago. I spent a little time reading some of the posts and was quite frankly surprised at some of the vicious attacks on some very fine citizens of Arcola. I know all the people mentioned in the posts I have read, and I believe they are all good people and have raised good families. You may not agree with some of their actions while performing a certain job, but I see no need for such public attacks. Sure, we have all said some unflattering things about people when gathered with a friend, but going to the social media is too much, unless you want to sign your name to it. Heck, I butted heads with Bill many times when on the Co-Op board together. Larry and I had a vigorous debate over the benefits vrs. the expenditures associated with TIF. I’ve voiced my opinion to Mark over Country Club matters, and in every case I respected their opinion and I hope they respected mine. Either way, there was no name calling or calling each other a “liar”. This is my first and probably last post unless someone wants to respond to me with their real name. Otherwise, don’t waste your time because I won’t read it. You see, if you don’t respect what you have to say enough to sign your name, then why should I take the time to read it?

“Opinions” are like a**holes…We all have one and your true colors are shining thru…Get a clue…Get a life and leave the working folks a lone to do their jobs rather than having to spend time & tax dollars to deal with your so called “opinions”.

Jack, if you would just stick to the topic which would be the FOIA requests, and not keep trying to divert attention to anything but the FOIA requests, maybe people would be more interested in what you have to say.
Eagle, in my personal opinion, the only reason that the same people have been in the positions that they have over there at the township year after year is because no one has stepped forward as the watchdogs have and asked questions. The funny thing is that the Deana is so scared to let go of her “power trip” that she has everyone over there convinced that this will pass, and that they aren’t going to find anything out. Well, maybe when the AG demands that she pulls those receipts off of the internet and then they see what has truly been going on, it will be hitting the fan for sure.
Both of you sound like you have something to worry about. You are apparently tied to the township in some way and are getting really scared because more and more things are coming out against you. The things that you people are doing and have been doing for years are finally being exposed!

Jack, Lets keep this simple since you have a hard time being confronted. 1) You are guessing & you even said you were in your last denial.FACT 2) You point out things that don’t even matter when you do the exact same thing. Someone’s spelling, come on. FACT 3) You want to talk facts when you have no facts yourself. FACT 4) The Clerk has not fully complied or not at all to several FOIA’s. THAT’S A FACT JACK. Jack, George, Eagle or whoever you are go play games with someone else. I don’t have time for ignorance.

Jack,incompetent,really?How’s this for incompetence,letting a gas card payed for by the hard working taxpayers of Arcola Twp.take a 3 state vacation.Or maby being sued because of not giving all information asked for in a FOIA,is that incompetence?

Corn king – in that entire post you managed to say nothing. It went from me saying things that dont matter to a card game to smoke and mirrors and then finally a black eye….what are you talking about?? Talk issues and facts..enough with the hyberbole. Lets hear what the twp official told you. If you think he is lying thenthats fine but im guessing there was an explanation – you just didnt like what you heard.

Seems like the Twp peeps are doing a fine job doing what they were hired to do. RUNNING THE TWP…They are in charge of handling their positions and you peeps think you can run the Twp from the sidelines. Get a clue!!! That’s why they were elected and not you. They aren’t the scandals you are. They have done a fine job for 20yrs plus and will continue to do a great job as always doing their jobs…They are in charge & at least working for a living as should be..Keep up the good work Twp peeps…

Jack, You point out things that really don’t matter, just like Eagle and George have done. You called out someone’s spelling and you yourself have trouble with that. Like (deceny). I got what you meant. Drop it. You seem to think you know a lot about what I know or who I haven’t talked to. You do not have any facts to support your accusations of me. Guessing is for the card game Go Fish. Deal another hand. I have discussed the FOIA’s with one of your aforementioned Township Official. Lets just say there was a lot smoke and mirrors. I think there is about to be a fire from the smoke. It’s a shame that you are giving the Arcola Township more of a black eye than it already has. Keep up the good work though.

All of them have gone now. They must have run out of people to blame this on. Maybe they have figured out they got themselves in this mess and they are just going to do what is right and that is to give up the information

Bowdre – why cant you ever spell your own twp correctly? Anyways..it was either state change or central committe. I cant remember. Regardless, i guess you think the twp ppl out right lied to the entire town about why they changed the filing procedure? Why didnt the ppl who wanted to change the rules at the caucus just file on time like they knew they were supposed to? Even then, they could still change the rules at the caucus but got severely beat in the vote. So whats your point about the caicus? Either way they lose.

Lake lady – the judge will most likely throw out the suit because they didnt file it correctly. Incompetent.

Jack,I can’t help wonder on the 5th when the Twp. is in front of the judge, that he will be worried about bluster.Instead,he just might ask,Why don’t you just give them the information?

Jack I’m not an expert on Twp. law,but it’s my understanding the Road Comm. pretty well stands on his own.If he has the money he can spend it on what he sees fit.Mr. Kraft may have more insight into this matter.Did anyone ever produce minutes where this was brought before the board?

Hey Jack,how come no body has anserwed my question about State mandated rule change?It may just be there never was one .And how could anyone over ride state law without a court battle?[unless your Arcola Twp.]Those loop holes are usually found when a part time seceratary gets a little worried.I remember someone posting how alot of these problems come back to one desk.

Corn King and Arcola Lola you obviously don’t understand what you are asking for. Do you think a taxing body that you send your real estate tax dollars to every year has to tell how they are spending your money. And if you do, how dare you, it sounds like they have found a legal loophole in the constitution in the FREEDOM of Information act why they probably should not tell you that, or is it because they may not be real proud of what they have done. Yet maybe they may just think, after they have been in this position for all of these years, this money you are sending them might just be theirs to do with as they see fit and you can just kiss there ass. Sounds as if that is the arrogance coming from that office. So if there is a legal reason not to give out public information please tell everyone now Jack, then everyone could be silenced. Or is the LEGAL reason a secret too? I am sure Mr. Kraft would like to hear that also. And Terry Foran hope this threatening letter doesn’t bring back memories of your letter from the caccus threatening your family, they wanted to make sure you did not run in the election. Township boys and girls hope your real proud of that one. It shows nothing is sacred to them and they will be intimidated by no one right Bill

Jack, just to inform you, I have been dealing with politicians, liars, and fools for years. You wouldn’t know that would you? And I wouldn’t want to run for office because I wouldn’t want to have to clean up the mess that those at the township office have created. Maybe once this is straightened out, you never know.
As for the letter, please tell me why he wouldn’t say that it was a threatening letter instead of one criticizing his “press release”. I think that you are the one being fooled.
As far as the attorney is concerned. The only thing that needs to be approved by the attorney is anything that is pertaining to the FOIA request involved in the lawsuit, not all of them! I believe that the Watchdogs have clarified that already. I personally can’t wait until this goes to court so that maybe we can get the answers that we are demanding!

Corn King – you are missing the point. There are reasons, LEGAL reasons why the twp hasnt answeredthese particular people completely. You wouldnt know those reasons because you presumably dont have the guts or deceny to ask them.

Arcola Lola- ill ignore the childish name calling for now. The attorney is consulted because of the lawsuit from what i understand. You may not agree but hey run for the office. As to the letter – he said it was the best line not the whole letter. But hey keep defending actions like that. Disgusting.

Jack, lets keep this simple so you don’t get off track. Numerous FOIA request have been either incomplete or not answered at all. Please dispute that.

Jack, you my friend, are an ignorant fool! Let me explain to you so that you can understand what it is that the people want. Wait for it…here it is…ANSWERS!!!!
Why is it that whenever someone asks for a receipt, you people at the township have to consult your attorney before you produce it and in doing so, costing the taxpayers yet more money? That is, if you have it to produce. If you don’t have it, you can easily go online (you know, what you are doing right now by posting on this site), and get a copy of the receipt to comply with the request. Now, that being said, you people just love to try to deflect the heat by putting it on everyone else. Do you know what you remind me of? Children that have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar! That’s how you people are acting!
Now, as for a “threatening letter” that was received by a township trustee. If you are referring to a letter that was received by Joey Hackler, here is his facebook status referring to the letter:
Joey Hackler
Friday via mobile
“Got my first piece of hate mail today. Best line was: “Who do you think you are? The mayor of Chicago, seriously, a press release??” Keepin’ it classy haha.”

Does that sound like a threatening letter to you??? Get your facts straight!

Terry foran – You noticeably didnt answer any questions about your time on the board. Ill ask for george again: Did you or did you not say “hey, thats not right. Dont give her a gas card.” Also, you said it yourself – you guys waved all preset rules set by central committee. Those rules were not waved by republicans and everyone who wanted to run knew those rules just as you did which is why you filed paperwork by the deadline then later dropped out.

Corn King – Thanks for all the bluster and no substance. I do get both sides of the story because if you havent noticed the watchdogs have there own little website thingy of which you are on right now. So again, have you asked the clerk or the supervisor anything? Didnt think so.

If you all want to know how the city folks operate look no further than the fact that i heard one of the twp trustees got an anonymous threatening letter last week.

Jack,just how many Twp’s requried the same paperwork you guys cooked up?TOI was called in Springfield and asked about the new forms needed to comply with the new state law and did not know of any such new forms.If you find any post them here and we will check with them.

Ok Jack if you are the clerk or the supervisor, WHAT IS GOING ON?. Why don’t you want to show receipts Would it not be easy to stop all of the questions. You said you wanted us to ask so we are, Why? and please do not ask the attorney what to say you have spent enough on him. We are waiting Bill or Corky or Jack or Deeny which ever one wants to respond

Jack I can’t speak for Wont B,and yes I have talked to the Supervisor,and as I stated before the Road Comm.issued the gas cards.Why they won’t hand over all information asked for in the FOIA’s I can’t say.Now for the cacus,I was not at the Republican cacus because I attened the Democrat, by law you can participate in only one.From what I’ve been told we did not run ours the same as they did,we waved all preset rules made by the Central Comm.and ran it the same way it has been run for years.

Jack, Talk about false accusations. You have no basis to judge what I know or don’t know. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read the letter from the Attorney General to know there is a fox in the hen house. I assume you believe the Clerk has fully complied with all requests. What rock did you crawl out from? It sound to me like you only know what the Clerk and the Supervisor tell you. I guess you could say you don’t know “Jack” So you go ahead and hang your hat on that.

Wont b fooled again – its astonishing how many false accusations you can make in one post. First of all – you are correct, this year was different because they were complying with state law. Second, regardless of the change, the other side knew it had changed. The folks who tried and failed to get on the ballot were in actual meetings discussing the change. Why they didnt file, i have no clue – you’ll have to ask them. Third, the democrats caucus was ran the exact same way with much less of a crowd. Lastly, the county sheriff was asked to run caucus and did not bully anyone.

Corn king – absolutely right. This is about the FOIA. However, you dont know everything or anything about the FOIA requests, how their handled, and why the twp is legally not complying with these particular folks. If i only watched MSNBC i would think Obama is a great president – and thats the parallel here. All you know is what the watchdogs tell you – have you asked the clerk or the supervisor whats going on?

Jack being a novice at attending a cacus,it’s my understanding they were never run like the Republicans ran there’s.The paper work was always filled out after the nomation was accepted and voted on at the end of the meeting.Nobody in the past had to declare prior to the cacus of there intent to run.The Deocrats,it is my understanding,ran theirs the way they always have in the past.I can clearly see in hindsight why the County Sheriff bulled his way through ours.It takes less time to do something when it’s already cut and dried!

Eagle, I don’t care if someone doesn’t pass the spelling test. Even if it’s you. It seems as though you and George bring up subjects that really don’t matter. It must be a way to divert from the real issue at hand. This is about the Township, not the school. Your statement of not having proof is somewhat correct. The Clerk will not comply with the FOIA. When they finally comply there will be the proof. When the Attorney General has to step in I bet it makes you proud of the Township & the Clerk that you are so strongly defending. We need to throw the incompetent TWP attorney in there too. Bottom line the Dept. Clerk is the one that keeps records or doesn’t keep records. Its not like they are asking for records from 1902. My word its only for the last few years. This mess is about not providing complete records and nothing else,YET. Eagle please tell us your business in town so we don’t mistakenly stop in a make a purchase.

You don’t even have a clue as to what is going on here & you might want to put your education to the test starting with the spelling that has been going on here…True colors are shining in your schools education system…I would be so proud to raise a family in this community…LOL…Is this the level of education you kids want to play with…I think you might want to think again before wasting the tax payers money running off your mouths about something you have no knowledge or proof about…Assuming you think you know something or wanting to make false statements about the Twp only leads to the statement of which you are “assuming” and we all know what that does nothing but make an A** of You and me both and being a business owner & tax payer of this community I’m not into playing your game…Thank you very much for the invite but I’m out…Don’t care to play your game & hope you will figure that out soon that not everyone in the town is on your side as you want to believe they are…Best of luck in your future…Hope you have been educated enough to figure that out…

Im pretty sure he meant “qualify” as in filing the papers to run for the office. Even though they knew they had to they didnt. They decided to show up at the caucus and try to change the rules there, which is fine but they lost that vote too.

This is for George and Eagle you guys(or mabey not)have made posts about not being elected,or qualifed for a position.Also being cry babies or needing a few slaps to wake up.Well what do you guys need to get your attention.The TWP. has not only made the county courthouse docket,but now has the IL.Attorney Generals attention.When you stand before the judge,I don’t think your defense of it being a smear campaign will hold water.

Related articles here:
http://3.133.133.226/?s=Arcola&x=10&y=8

Bowdre,she’s stuck her nose in over here too,believe me we don’t need her kind trying to run us.Arcola why does it appear some of your most recent problems lead back to one desk.Watchn’s right,you guys on the board have been made aware of questions if not problems concerning the gas cards.Not answering FOIA’s has landed you in court.When something does’t pass the smell test it’s time to clean the mess up.

Eagle did someone clip your wings? It seems it would be less costly if you would just cut your losses now and sacrifice the obvious problem. It looks like every time you try to answer one problem it brings up two more. Or does the obvious problem have too much power over you guys?

George your starting to have a little trouble defending your man.Your own Supervisor told Terry that the Rd. Comm.issued the cards out of the road fund.You boys on the board have a lawsuit filed aganist you.jmkraft has a post below you should read,and take action on.Sept.5th isnt far off.

Arcola Twp.you have a problem.The same one we had over here,but we turned her lose.You better listen to jmkraft and fix this.

You guys over there are very entertaining. George you said or eagle said that you now have a qualified board, so surely one of your qualified peons would know no matter who did what it is not legal to use tax payers money for private use. Now it is starting to make sense why we don’t have any records of what you have been doing. Keep going Watch Dogs they can run a little more but they cant hide and they are running out of folks to blame this on. And by the way the secretary knows she cannot use taxpayers monies so she should not have accepted it or mandated it

George you are back.jmkraft is correct,the current board should fix it.George,appears you have alot of insider information,are you sure you dont have skin in the game that you are not telling us about.

Terry – Voted, approved, looked the other way, doesnt matter. Did you or did you not say “hey, thats not right. Dont give her a gas card.” Tis the question. Folks are blaming the current board for these things but they came from boards of the 90’s which you sat on.

George, I got a phone call yesterday about my new found fame,I made the internet.Your claim that I along with the board I served with,voted to give the secretary a gas card in 1998-BULLCRAP.I spoke with a couple of members from that board and they agreed with me,it never happened.So my next call was to Corky Clark,Twp. Supervisor.I asked him If the current board believed past board members voted to issue gas cards to the secretary,he said no.He told me the Road Comm.issued the gas card to the secretary out of the Road Fund.So George I am more than willing to talk to anybody intrested in this matter.P.S.George,thats my name at the top,how about you grab a pair out of that box in the back and give us your name.

Listen my children,the Dogs are scratching at the Locked door.Patience.

Sounds like a few good slaps in the face is what it is going to take to wake you people up about what is going on in the town. I don’t feel that your comments qualify for “All the Arcola Residents” definitely not mine.

Eagle, in your entire post below, the only thing that I can agree with you on is the fact that life is good. And it will be even better when the FOIA is answered as it should be, the township roads are taken care of as they should be, and the offices which MY TAX DOLLARS PAY FOR get the buzzer taken off. I don’t recall ever going to any government office where I have to be buzzed in. That is a slap in the face to ALL OF THE ARCOLA RESIDENTS!

And JmKraft, let me tell you how the last election went. It went with favors being done for private citizens out of township funds, promises being made in back allies, and lies being told to all of the residents of Arcola. I guess if you can successfully complete the above tasks, you then “qualify” to be on the township board.

Enjoy the benefits of the job Twp employees..You have earned them over the years & these cry babies are just shedding a few tears because they were not elected in to the position…Which they didn’t qualify for in the first place…Keep up the good work…Honest hard working folks are behind you all the way doing their jobs as well…Life is good…

George please, be done posting and start responding to the requests from the watch dog group. It seems as though since they did give you gas cards in 1998 we would assume that there would be receipts for all of those years of compensation they paid and that would have been taxed properly. If there is nothing wrong with what you have been given then just show those receipts and 1099,s and your smear campaign can be done.

Well apparently George is having problems facing the truth and he is going to tuck-tail and run now.
Are you still going to say that these requests are city halls fault? Someone needs to put their big-boy pants on and admit that the township has messed up and now the chickens are coming home to roost.
How long did you really think that you people could hide these things? Answer the FOIA request in it’s entirety. Quit hiding behind your “attorney” (that’s not the title that I would give him) and man up! Your buddies down there at the township are using you to further their agenda just like they have used everyone in the past. I think that you might want to ask for your spine back out of the twp, secretaries purse while you are at it.
Let me add that there is nothing more disturbing to a community when the elected officials and their employees can’t follow simple requests from the public. People start to question what is going on and what is being hidden. Your “friends” in the community are not liking what is coming out of all of this.
I hope that the watchdogs are seeing all that is being posted about the “perks” of the secretaries job. Such as the gas card that she has had since 1998 as George has pointed out. I hope that she has a 1099 for those years! Maybe someone should FOIA those records!! This is another waste of taxpayer dollars!!

George, George George, Seems as though you have a hard time keeping on track. I know now you were a frequent rider on the short bus. I about fell over when you said you may be WRONG. Lets keep this simple. Since you say people need to get educated and you seem to know a lot about the Township. Educate me on the hundreds of FOIA request over the last two years. You and I know that is not FACT. But please educate me.

Lake Lady you are a special kind of stupid. Its rights not rites. Anywho, i am done posting here. I cant keep up with the misinformation, rumors, and stupidity. Just know that nothing will come of this and ya’ll wasted your time. The truth is this smear campaign comes from city hall against the one taxing body that stood up to defend itself and didnt blindly sign an extension. All the other taxing districts havent signed either so i guess everyone except the city council is evil and wants to stop economic development. I could be wrong but i think the voters overwhelmingly made their decision though. Whatever. Peace out and get a life.

P.S. Ask city councilman and lead conspiracy theorist Terry Foran who was on the twp board that voted for the secretary’s gas card in 1998. Should be interesting.

Eagle look around business seems to be picking up.As for the gossip when questions are asked and not answered thats not gossip thats a voters constitutional rite!As for lessons in business prove to us where 32hr work week justifies $65000.00+in a town the size of Arcola.Now for being proud to be part of Arcola,,many of our kids would love to move back home,and some of us are trying to make this a better place.A place where the jobs pay more,like a Twp. seceratary,where you get payed vacations,like a Twp.seceratary,where you get gas cards,like aTwp.seceratary.And just to make sure no one steals away in the nite with the goods its all kept behind LOCKED DOORS!

It’s Amazing to me to see all the “children” gossiping about the Twp’s business that know nothing about or what is even happening today in the town. I know as a business owner I would never consider bringing my business to your town with so much immaturity going on. Keep up the good work of destroying any chance for new businesses coming to the big town of Arcola…I sure would be proud to be a part of this want- to-be community that you all call home…Lessons in business…Get over it & get a clue that what is being said is just the trash of the city lashing out at the good guys doing their jobs making a hard honest living.

Welcome to the conversation twp citizen.Your post about the Rd. Comm.and his shall we say consumption,has been well known by most in the community.But if we chose to be honest, because of everything he has done for the community,he gets a pass which for the most part keeps him untouchable.

George, So the Township has had “hundreds” of FOIA request in the last two years. They didn’t even know what a FOIA was until late last year or maybe early this year. Then when they did received one most times they didn’t fully comply. I am doing my best to stay on topic here, which by the way is FOIA. You are making it real hard for me to hold my tongue.

Speaking of lawsuit. Allowing road commissioner drive twp. Truck after heavy drinking is sort of asking for another one. Oh and what about when he didn’t have a driver’s license.

Lake Man it makes one wonder why the Twp.would get hundreds of FOIAs in the first place.Somebody must think theres a problem in there somewhere,and I for one believe the Watchdogs are just the ones to sniff it out.

George if you have been dealing with hundreds of foia’s over the last two years then why is it you don’t want to deal with these. Are they different?

Arcola Lola I think you are on to something here.I dont remember seeing the lawyer fees posted anywhere on here.Are we starting to see why George is so fiesty?How about it George,you going to answer jmkraft?

George-Im afraid you may be a little confused.Show me where some of our closest neighboring Twps. of comparable size are paying twice as much for insurance,have a locked comfort station,or are paying a seceratary over $50,000.00.Just to name a few.

Way to not answer any of my points Arcola Lola. You know you’re wrong. I have no business with the twp just defending good people. Yes lies and ignorance to facts hit nerves. What evidence? What is mounting? Why are you asking me what the real problem here is….thats what im asking YOU.

Also, George, you want me to justify the sign on the edge of town? I had no idea that they had even gotten it! It sure does look nice! Great job the painters did on it too!!
As far as TIF is concerned with the sign, I am sure that the city attorney wouldn’t have approved such an expense if it wasn’t legal. The thing that you don’t understand is that the city at least follows the law, they don’t try to bend it to the limit. But isn’t this really all about FOIA requests made to the township that have been fought? And when they were answered, it was a partial answer. Missing documents and such.

It also hit me that you seem to know the exact amount that the township has spent fighting the FOIA requests through their attorney. How is that?

George, I am really becoming concerned that you have some of the township mess on your hide with how defensive you have become. Are people hitting nerves? Is the evidence mounting? Are you feeling heat? What is the real problem here?

It is also amusing and sad you all can spread rumors and spout accusations here online but I gaurantee you that none of you would say any of this to a twp officials face. None of you can at least sign your real name to your posts. Pathetic.

GEORGE You are a piece of work. I know your kind very well. I did not personally attack anyone. YOU have in several posts. I may have used the wrong words to describe how TIF works. Its to my understanding that new construction can receive a percentage of its NEW property taxes to pay for eligible construction cost. That’s what I meant by a tax break. I am sure you will correct me on how that is not right either.
I am not 100% in favor of the TIF program. But Tuscola has it and Mattoon too. We need to continue it to keep in step with those towns.
Since you are so quick to point out things to others on here. Open your eyes and read my second sentence. Better yet, here it is so that you don’t have to look for it. “taxpayer dollars go into TIF to promote Arcola to businesses. It doesn’t matter if they are mom and pop shops or multi-million dollar chains. TIF is designed to encourage those businesses to come to and stay in Arcola by tax incentives.” Tell me that the law suit DIDN’T increase property taxes? Then tell me how the two referendums for the school DIDN’T raise property. Please, please tell me that isn’t correct. If you do then YOU need to get educated. You are trying to solely blame TIF for the current property tax rate. Since you are so concerned with the LAW, tell your buddies at the Township to stop spending money on attorney fees and produce records requested by a FOIA. Get educated and read that LAW.

Well stated Arcola Lola.You did a great job of explaining the past.It would appear those in charge are trying to hide in the present,by blaming the past.Oh and George flip over to the other Arcola site and listen to the supervisor stumble around trying to answer Mr. Kraft.The TWP.may just find out how good these guys are,it would appear they wont be blown off like some of locals were.

I have been listening to the babble coming from the defenders of our township. Babbling over issues that you were not elected to take care of ,you were elected to take care of our tax dollars that you are given every year by taxpayers. You are also to be held accountable for the way you spend our tax dollars every year. This issue is, why do you think you have the right to withhold information from the tax payers that they have asked for. Bill Coomb I hope you are preparing a good reason for the Judge on Sept. 5 for not wanting to give out that info or are you just going to hire an attorney to postpone again. After all this is just information of how our tax dollars was spent I hope it’s not secret like our government in Washington hides there spending habits.. So really Why can’t we see receipts? Once we get this behind us maybe we can deal with some of the other matters.

George-unlike most I have looked into and asked some questions.Do you think just because the settlement started in the 90s it doesnt matter?If you remember payments were made thur 2009,and I dont want to hear about it being bigger than your budget.Trailer Trash talked about the $2500 air cond. and that black patch stuff.Well I checked and was told those big black piles are cold patch and blade mix,commonly used by most Twp.How many thousands of dollars are out there never to be used becaused as he said you could drive a tank over it.Does this sound like the Twp.is trying to make fiscally sound decisions with the taxpayers money?If this makes some of you a little sick to your stomach,you will half to knock before you can use the Comfort Station that carries more than$80,000.00 in the account!

Voter – you must of stopped reading because as I said ” The twp does not want to end tif but wants an extension that enables them to be fiscally sound as well as doesnt keep shouldering taxpayers with the highest in the county property taxes”. Futhermore how does giving libmans money grow the tax base? The company is already there, helping them build a parking lot doesnt grow a tax base. If tif was used to help finance a new company then yes it grows the tax base. Which is how tif should be ran but its not here. Also, it doesnt matter how big the tax base grows because tif continues to capture the increment. When will the town realize the new EAV if we keep extending tif without it being restructured? No one is suppressing anybody, the twp would just like a proper budget. Speaking of the voters, if they believe as you say they do then why did the election go so badly for you guys? Or did you forget about that? When you become a smart lil one you will realize no one is trying to take awah your assets. The biz community sure does become antsy when their pot of gold might just have a bit more oversight.

George I think you are an idiot. We are growing our tax base with our tax dollars we are not trying to grow our government like you are proposing. I do not have the patience to explain to someone how this program works that has blinders on and cannot stand to see someone else succeed. You are correct the Libman Company can operate without help. They could also, not help us grow our tax base. Unlike everyone at the township most everyone else wants all the business community to keep growing. So if you persist to try to suppress Arcola for whatever reason you would have. Why don”t you go with the old rule of, If you don’t want to help then stay out of the way but don”t to hurt us

The settlement from the 90’s (which no one on the current twp board was a part of) was a very public thing spearheaded by congessman Tim Johnson. Please tell me how a twp was supposed to pay a settlement that is more than their entire annual budget? Secondly, how does taxpayer dollars going to multi million dollar companies that dont need it grow a community? Please read TIF statute so you can understand what its actually to be used for. The twp does not want to end tif but wants an extension that enables them to be fiscally sound as well as doesnt keep shouldering taxpayers with the highest in the county property taxes.

Hey George,heres something relevant,Im complaining about the Twp. using tax dollars(TIF) to settle a lawsuit.And yes tax dollars are used for public purposes,like ohh i dont know growing a community.Now you want to talk about digging at the bottom of the barrel,how about a Twp.chastising a town for wanting to extend a program only after getting $760,000.00 to clean up its own proplems.

So you educated people at the township forgot to tell anyone about the 741 thousand TIF money you used. Maybe this is just one more of the reasons you are hiding information from the watch dogs. I hope maybe they bite you in the a—- . soon. The arrogance that you are showing is starting to let everyone see your true colors and to see who we might be trying to protect.

Wait just a minute!A n A you mean to tell us that the Twp. got 3/4 of a MILLION DOLLARS in TIF money?The same people who have been trashing the City over the TIF extension?Ive not heard a thing about the TIF baling them out of a tight spot, such as their lawsuit.Whats the deal ,now that they have benafited from TIF they want to cut everybody else out?What a bunch of hippocrates!Thanks A n A for bring this out into the open ,it appears the Twp. sure wasnt going to own up to it! What a bunch of……

Big in Bowdre , We have a good road commissioner over here also. he just has a little trouble when he has to defend the secretary that he has running the place. She has a bag that has all the guys under her spell squirming and wishing they could have the contents back . Maybe they might realize if that problem was solved they might be able to get on with things.

I am sure happy to hear they are spending more of my tax dollars to hide public information. Do they think they are living ( under the dome) in there own little world with there own little bank account ? I would presume the attorney does not want them to quit hiding stuff, helps his retirement

Well Big n Bowdre we feel the same way about our roads.Here in Bourbon Twp.we get alot of buggy traffic and its real hard on a road,so Steve and his men are always at work.Eagle,lay off the Lady maybe shes seen just how much the Red truck is parked on Main St.

We attended the Arcola Township meeting last night and will run an update on Arcola Township in the next couple of days. One key thing in the update is another attempt at a FOIA denial – and it will probably cost the Township more in attorney fees because of their unwillingness to cooperate with a request.

Lake Lady..Your brain is water logged !!! Get a life of your own & get over it…If you only knew what her job duties are you would then know that what your saying here is crap..She does her job & does it well…

$741,600.06 Thats the amount of TIF funds recaptured for the Arcola Township lawsuit.This amount was paid out from 1999 through 2009.When the Twp. asked for help to pay off the lawsuit,they were told payments toward the lawsuit were not TIF eligibe.So working with Rep. Tim Johnson and Springfield they could run the money through the County,the County could then give the money to the City which in turn would write the checks to the Twp.By doing it this way,the funds were earmarked for the Twp.The city in no way,shape,or form ever fought to keep the funds from getting to the Twp.Because of the structure of the TIF as mandated by Springfield,this was the only legal way to pay the Twp.They in turn sold bonds to cover the rest of the lawsuit.If anybody would like to see the letters written and actions takenin this matter,the city has all such documents on file for anyone to read.

jmkraft; looks as if natives are restless in arcola. do you have any travel plans tonight or do you think they might not let you in

Arcola Lola-you made several good points,the one I like the most is the one cocerning the roads.Jerry and his crew are out working on our twp. roads just about every day.We drive on ours ,Bourbons and Arcolas quite abit and I will take ours every time.Jerry and his guys are always out doing something and they dont get thanked enought,so here goes THANKS ALOT fellas and keep up the good work!Oh and Lola tell yor Rd. Comm. to knock it off with the threats,we want to keep Jerry in one piece.

I hit the wrong button and deleted the last two comments by mistake sorry…

Eagle,in regard to your post about the secretary working longer,than 32hrs/wk everyone knows it takes longer to cover tracks than make them.

B.J.any good business manager worth their salt knows the ratios in your comments are bad business practices.And as for my earlier comment calling for a audit,the fact that they can not or will not produce receipts,would very simply be unacceptable to anyone preforming an audit of any kind.

I think the clerk skipped a class in school about how to run a township. If you are doing everything for everyone in town then please stop and do the job you were elected to do. That is to be looking out for the township roads, because everyone knows you don’t know how to work with anyone trying to grow a community. By the way would the clerk in his farming business not keep gas receipts? And would he also pay a secretary 1/6 of his total expenses to keep track of those receipts? And would he care that over 50% of his expenses were used before we worked on acre of ground? I guess not. So the bottom line is why are we hiding all of the answers that the watch dogs are wanting? Do you think they are trying to overthrow the township? keep looking over your shoulder until they get what they want

Hey Arcola Lola are you sure about the $300 assistance?Because if thats rite then that $2500 air conditioner was way more than they should have given out,or did I miss something?

I am disgusted at how this thread got way off course. You people should be ashamed at the accusations made without any kind of proof whatsoever. If the shoe fits wear it. This is about the Township Clerk not producing all records requested by a FOIA. Their attorney made this statement in a letter representing the Arcola Township. “They are not obligated to give you information. They are not obligated to answer inquiries.” You have got to be kidding me. This attorney not only represents the Township, he represents the people in Arcola Township. I for one do not need that kind of representation. Their attorney has made it clear that he is worried about not getting $5 for what he claims is one FOIA request made by the Watchdogs. Clearly there were two. Big deal! I suggest the Township Clerk (that took the oath of office) needs to step up and do the right thing “NOW”.

Sluggo, your intelligence reflects that of a slug. Take a look around at out this city, it is absolutely going to hell. Seems I may have hit the nail on the head with my outing of these snakes. Perhaps you are even one of them. Worry not, their true colors will soon show. Why dont the watchdogs look into getting the history files from Bill wagoners city computer under the FOIA. May notice a bunch of racing websites brought up on taxpayer time. How about the times he babysits his stepdaughter at city hall during work hours? Open your bind eyes, you say the township is corrupt, look at our city people it is everywhere. The biggest issue is that Mr. Nacke is actually out doing something in public, while the city sluggos are doing their own thing while no one is looking. As far as me being backed into a corner, or a guilty conscious and losing sleep. I haven’t 2 cents in this. I think it is time however someone actually stands up for the township and all they do.

Scorned2020—WOW!!!…….What a story, sounds like somebody is being backed into a corner.
Also by the time of ur post (1 or 2 A.M.) ur having trouble sleeping (guilty conscience perhaps). It may take a while in the courts so I imagine many more sleepless nights for you.
By the way I think there is a township meeting Monday night if anybody has questions. On second thought I forgot they’re not ta liking. See you all after the watchdogs pry some info out of them.

Patience,everyone big things are coming!

Ok, if I understand correctly, not only is it ok that the township has a secretary that makes over 70k a year for a part time job, but she also gets more fringe benefits than most full time employees at most companies. Tell me how many townships even have secretaries? Not many at all. Why? THEY CANT AFFORD THEM!
Next problem that I see is the fact that the road commissioner seems to have a problem sticking with what he is supposed to be doing. Meaning, the school and all of the personal favors that he does in town for residents are not things that he needs to be concerned about. What he needs to concentrate on are the roads in RURAL Arcola township (outside of the city limits)!
The township duties are to assist those in need financially up to $300.00 per year, and oversee the Arcola cemetery. I am sure there might be one or 2 other duties that they have, but these are their main concerns.
Now, it seems to me that all the township commissioner does is cry that they have no money. Take a look at the townships around you Mr. Nacke, do you see any with a secretary that makes what your girl does??? This could be part of the problem with your bottom line.
The main reason that the township is being investigated is the fact that they have failed to comply with requests that have been made for records that are public. The secretary has conveniently “destroyed” any evidence that will show that they are doing anything wrong. That alone should make people wonder.
I see people trying to divert the attention away from the issue here by throwing the city under the bus. The funny thing here is that any request made to the city for records has been met completly and in a timely manner. You say that the mayor, city administrator, and various others are crooks but you haven’t got a leg to stand on with that accusation. Nice try!

Hey Sluggo after your post about bonuses and the phone,it seems the comments have shifted a little.

When will you all open your eyes? Get the TRUTH, not some gossip from league night or at the local coffee shop. Nobody cared what the township did for the past 20 some years of this commissioners term. Not until his part time co-worker was elected as a city alderman were there any such issues. Sorry to say, but this man is being played as a puppet. Most of the major issues have been planted in his head from REX over a few cold ones at the local dive. But lets not leave out the Mayor and Administrator of Arcola. They are very good at fooling people and then throwing others under the buss for their benefit. Everyone is complaining about the townships issues now. Look at N. Locust street people! Do you not realize we are paying for that road to be paved because our mayor lives on that road? The entire motor fuel tax budget was exhausted on it alone, so there will not be any other road work done with in city limits this year folks. You probably didnt know this because they were able to misdirect your attention with everything going on in the township. Seriously everyone the group we need to be looking into is Larry Ferguson, Bill Wagoner, Rex Willison, Terry Foran, and, Mark Spainhour. The biggest question here is who is the ring leader and who are the puppets?

If you complainers have ever walked a week in the part time secretaries shoes you would know that she works a lot more than 32 hrs a wk. She has taken care of the TWP for over 25yrs and always done a great job in what she does and would know she does more than any secretary does in their job. Leave the working people of the valley alone and worry about the free loaders in the town trying to make a living at your expense. They all are doing a great job and working for a living just like everyone else & putting the Twp first. Spend the taxpayers money where it is needed not in the courts…

Hey George,if you are looking for something to put on the country roads,come out here to JBs.Theres several big piles of that black patch stuff you put in holes.JB said it belongs to the Twp. but I dont think it is any good.I thought Id borrow some for my drive but its so hard you could drive a tank over it you see its 2or3 years old.And George,leave Libmans alone,my family needs to work to.

union Jack – So that was a pretty irrelevant post but let me get this straight. You are complaining about someone using tax dollars to facilitate the construction of a fire station? Are tax dollars not used for public purposes like ohh i dont know..a fire station? You really are digging at the bottom of the barrel now. This must be the scandal you so deeply want to find within the twp…yeah right.

When do you think she does the Fire Dist books that she gets paid very for for doing. Probably same time she is getting paid quite well from Twp. It is a part-time job. Twp officials all say it is. Check with area Twps and see if any have a person with the same position as her let alone one with her salary and benefits. Do taxpayers have any idea how much tax money is used by using equipment for personal reasons.

For those of you who dont know what Broom Corn Joni is talking about I will explain.On the north end of Sheldon St. is Libman Broom and across the street to the west is the Township maintance building.I know in their line of work some equip.will sit outside when being used.The eyesore I see is the mountain of weeds,dirt,rock,and concrete next to the street.Guess where a lot of that came from,thats right the Fire Station.Now its not just going to disappear oh no ,somebody has to haul it off and put fuel in a truck to do so.Now just who do you think is going to pay for that with their tax dollar?Its only money, it just happens to be ours!

Broom Corn Joni – shows how much you know. Libmans improvements were financed by TIF. Please go read TIF statute and get back to me if you believe Libmans qualifies as an are in need of TIF funds. Im not sure what “eyesore” you are talking about. The township is not blocking anything. Is Green Mill Village not being developed? Is there not land where the trailer park used to be for development? Who is blocking that developement? Lastly, if the township had enough money to pave more country roads they would do it which is the whole point. The country roads are not the problem, its the city roads. Who takes care of the city roads Joni?

High Rider – the voters chose to support people who support her. Ipso facto..you lost. Time to get over it and focus on real problems in the town. Not one ladies income. This is all smoke and mirrors by the city to make the twp look bad because they wont blindly sign up for a 12 year extension to TIF.

George you want to talk about issues in town well here goes.How long will the Twp keep blocking the development of land between the cemetary and I-57.The Libman Co.has spent a lot of money improving their property and the new concrete looks great,why cant the TWP do something with their eyesore.And lastly,why cant the TWP spend more time working in the country and less in town?

George,I did not know she was on the ballot.As for your statement that the voters sided with her it appears your saying she really runs Twp.

George….I know u don’t know what ur talking about. I’m looking at record showing her salary. On 12/7/2011 there are 5 different checks wrote to her for $300 each ( looks like might be bonuses from 5 different accounts). I
‘ll bet u didn’t know she receives $100 per month for a cell phone. Also life and disability insurance. This is basically a part time job only works 32 hours/week. Lake lady better come out of retirement. I would love to see a job description.

George George George take adeep breath clear your head and calm down.Now in a answer to your question YES some of us have been paying attention.Now,do you want a FULL description of her duties over the years?WELL DO YOU???

BOY OH BOY OH BOY!Just finished reading the Record-Herald,and the treasuers report for the Fire Dist.is in the paper.1 wage is reported for the fiscal yr. $11,1300.00. I believe she works across R/R tracks to the east.OK so maybe the board needs a little help,but maybe the volunteer fireman or woman could use a little compensation also.We have all seen them at their meetings,training and fighting fires,some very dangerous like cabinet shop east of town.I know some of them have young families and a little gas money would surely help.

Dont feel to bad Wont B Fooled Again,you were not the only lemming.Myself and a couple I went to the cacus with have the same attitude as you.It seems you cant question the inner circle, for it appears change comes hard.So I for one am going to sit back and let the Watch Dogs work, they seem to be very succefull at shedding lite on the truth.Have at it Dogs.

Im going to half to apologize for participating in the cacus earlier this spring.I was lead to belive all the rumors being spread about people going to be fired,and a group that didnt have the best intrest of the Twp at heart.I blinding followed along without actually checking some of the facts out for myself. Since then looked into some of issues being discussed here and in the community, and from what I have gatherd is nobody was going to be fired,no undermining of the Twp.mainly citizens trying to exercise their democratic rite.Im afraid Ive lost a bit of respect for some people,but it is apparent to me that the unsigned letter I got in the mail had some very valid facts in it.

Teed Off ,its nice to see more of us showing a little interest in the use of our taxes.Dont forget to consider the fact she also gets a nice benefit package as well. If memory serves me correctly, the balance sheet the Twp.published in the paper showed her getting insurance and retirement;ad to that payed vacation, govt. holidays, and year end bonuses its a pretty sweet job!Almost makes a girl want to come out of retirement.

A couple of my girlfriends were talking during league today about the watchdogs and their web site.I asked what was going on and they told me about the comments being posted, and that I should take a look at the web site when I get home.My goodness, there is so much to digest, and the comment about the secretarys salary in addition to the bonus ,I can see what all fuss is about.

Talk about an education!After reading some of these comments, Im not sure who is spending the taxpayers dollar more foolishly Eagle.The majority of teachers at Arcola make WAY less than your secretarys base salary,and it appears you have given her a $4500 raise.The Twp. may want to reflect a little more on their spending of the taxpayers money.

For the record…on on the west side..All the records are public knowledge & can be found to see how moneys are being spent…maybe you need to do your homework & then you will have the correct answers you are looking for and can stop listening to the want a bees in the area…Then you will have the facts and can stop spending the taxpayers money so foolishly and put it to better use else where…

@ Dee Wayne. What do you mean a trustee is “thinking for himself”. Who?

It would appear that supervisor Clark could show a little leadership and call for a complete and full INDEPENDANT audit.This could clear up any grey areas and settle all questions.And it most certainly would cost less than the recent legal expenses spent trying to supress information, the new locks ,or the recent raise given to the secretary.

JW – How is it evident that they never answered FOIA requests? Because this one man is not satisfied with all the documents they have available that is evidence that they have never answered any of the dozens of FOIA requests? How does that make sense? What is evident is that even after the auditor was tipped off by folks like Rex Willison who have hired these Edgar County guys they still didnt find any scandal. Nothing illegal or bad is happening. If there is please do tell. The story still stands – no one is questioning how business is done and if they are what have they found to question?

How stories change, 6 months ago your clerk said that no one had ever questioned how you run there business. And it is very evident you have never answered a FOIA request and Dixon was audited every year for 20 years

And what exactly are they to be investigating JW? The twp has been being investigated for two years now. They have gotten dozens and dozens of FOIA requests, all of which have been met with no scandal to show for it. They recently had an audit done as is required every four years and the few changes that were suggested have been put into place. What more would you like to happen?

It looks as though Arcola is in the midst of economic upturn. Why is the township so anti growth. Seems odd that a township would not want to see the tax base grow. Is it a control issue, or is it starting to show we just don’t want change cause that brings new faces and we may not be safe with the way we are doing things now.

Are the 2 new trustees going to step up and do the right thing or are they going to follow like sheep. Are they going to investigate anything or are they just going to look at what is put in front of them to see, and say, yes dear if that is what you like and vote her in another raise, just like the rest of the braintrust. Why can’t these guys do the job they are getting paid to do, they ran hard and dirty to get this. We can only hope they did this not just to protect one job, but maybe there is other motives. Maybe they do not know how to do there jobs, they may have been taught by the one that is controlling there every thought.

Eagle:Their have been many articles written about the adverse affect of birds flying to close to wind turbines,have you been flying on the east side of I-57 lately?It appears the Twp. has filed to dismiss the lawsuit for Lack of Juridiction.It is puzzling to me why they are fighting so hard to not release information that the local taxpayer has a rite to.Puzzling indeed.As for the locks on the door,it appears more stringent than what we have at the courthouse.Putting the legality of it aside,I wonder how many Twp. the size of Arcola have such a system?

I am one of the 400 voters that is wondering now if I was misled a lot at the election. The(highly educated) people running the election claimed it was all about money and the twp. was going broke. The way I am seeing this now we are just looking for ways to spend taxpayers money so we can get more taxpayer monies. Gas cards ,Lawyers to keep our info secret, locks to keep our info private and many wasted hours to try keep our community from growing. Are there going to be more lies or are we going to man up and do what you were elected to do? This is our township not just yours do the right thing. I am very disappointed that my vote counted in the last election.

Eagle may have a point.On the positive side the Twp equipment isnt baling hay this summer and the Rd. Comm. is driving his personal truck alot more

It shouldnt suprise us that they would spend that kinda money on part time help.Last summer they bought a $2500 air conditioner for my neighbor.Just goes to show you how easy it is to spend taxpayer money when left unchecked.

Get a Freakin life!!! Don’t you people have anything positive to say about the Twp that takes care of your community in which you call home…They have only been doing the job for how many years…Come on your just crying the blues & trying to stir the pot for popularity which you will never have. Safety & security is always #1 these days with all the fruit cakes running around the world. Protecting any gov office is first priority with any type of locks that are needed so stop the whining. You can’t tell them how to spend the money as it has spent for all the right reasons. Doesn’t sound like you people know what your complaining about other than to just complaining because your not the ones in charge. Get over it…

Hey Steve,It doesnt sound to me like a city problem brought the watchdogs to town.If half of this stuff has got some truth to it, then as a TAXPAYER I want to know!

What in the world is going on at the Twp.?1-Lawsuit filed2-Judge&lawyer are partners3-Rd. Comm. threating another Rd. Comm.4-Meetings lasting well into the nite5-Free work & material for school6-Accusations made against city officals7-Taxpayer funded building in lockdown8-big new raises.IS THIS DOWNSTATE DIXON???

weiner dog, you cannot be serious. The sec. is already at 70k with benefits. Has anyone checked the people that is in charge up there what this gal has on them. Or maybe that is the problem

Everyone should know that they took away her gas card BUT gave her a $4,600 raise. Not too bad for someone that works 30 hours a week.

The front door to the township office is now locked down, some more of your tax dollars spent just the way you all wanted. Maybe they are just getting used to hearing there doors locked at night by someone else, at a different place.

I can see Union Jacks point.I hope any of the work going on out here doesnt cause any trouble for Co. Engineer or the Twp Rd Comm.The lawsuit still worries me.

Was just wondering about the status of the lawsuit?Looking at Steves comment it kinda sounds like action may be close

School Zone I know you think the Twp is helping the school out by doing the work,but it is also taking work away from someone trying to make a living.The Twp. did the same thing up at the new fire station when they hauled the bad dirt out and hauled rock in.Im sure they could find work to do on the Twp roads and give some of us achance to make aliving.

Steve pay no mind to those footsteps.You know its been awful hot lately and the ole comment box seems a little tense these days could anybody use a hug?Well how about?

It is starting to sound like maybe one of the trustees for the township is starting to think for himself. Good for him right is right.

Ive been watching from the sidelines and done a little research.I belive the correct way for two taxing bodies to work together is through a inter govermantal agreement.If I understand correctly the Co. engineer is on the board so I would assume there is an agreement in place.If not why.

Since you “watch dogs” are in town… You guys should do some research on City Administrator, Bill Wagoner, Mayor, Larry Ferguson, and Zoning Officer, Rex Willison. They are the 3 biggest crooks in Arcola. Or do you not go after the people who hire you?

Good to see the Twp is working at the school again. I was afraid they might not get finished before school.And with them being sued and all the talk going around,you just dont know what could happen.

We had a trustee out here by us who didnt run the last time.Maybe the kitchen is getting a little to hot.

LAKE LADY, if it was a 2 hour meeting must have been informing all of the trustees of all the things that are happening in the office since some trustees did not know about law suits and lack of receipts and threats,MAYBE?

For R n B heard Twp board met for 2 hrs+ the other nite.Anybody read the min. from that meeting?

Like i said before let the new board look into these matters and check for any problems.Has the new board met yet?

You guys over there, maybe they don’t want you to know the secretary is pulling down big bucks and fringe benefits, lots of fringe benefits

The clerk also published in the paper that everything he did for the cacus was correct, why did he not publish the reason they changed it at all. Maybe we are seeing that now

Sounds like not much has changed since the Cacus. nobody wants any information to hit the streets. If there is nothing wrong why can’t the taxpayers see this info? The clerk published in the local paper that everything is good and they are doing everything right all you have to do is ask. Maybe not everything!!!

The new board elected last spring has 2 new members on it.I would think they would be cocerned about a lawsuit filed aganist them, and being new to the board take a close look at whats been going on.

Relax people Im sure the new board will look into the issues in comments below

Called Arcola City Hall to see how they handle FOIAs . They have a file full from Arcola TWP lawyer Petty,they said they simply copy info requested and send it back.By the way is the Twp done with playground here at school

Our township has a supervisor that is in charge, where is your supervisor in this mess

Threating anybody Rd. Comm.or not could lead to a lawsuit itself.Is that the reason for the Twp. office to be closed for 2 wks.?

What is going on in Arcola Township being from a next door twp sure is a lot of talk about road commissioners threating other road commissioners, secretary getting bonuses,clerks getting sued and new security systems on the door to the township office. Is this the way Dixon Ill. started ?

Appears that the judge and the lawyer have been business partners before that would not have any affect on this would it?

what is status of lawsuit now