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March 19, 2007

The Bradley/Bourbonnais Community High School (BBCHS) Board will have another referenda on the ballot April 17 to raise property taxes to subsidize mega-corporate home builders coming into the area and retailers building new stores to benefit from the growing population.

The referenda question will be for raising property taxes to pay for the first phase of a  new school  on land which has 4000 acres of farm land draining onto it. This will  require a large  lake to be dug according to the Drainage District for the 4000 acres .  The building plan also calls for remodeling the present building instead of abandoning it as was first considered if there is any money left over.  The referenda question calls for borrowing $41,655,000 with the total cost to taxpayers including interest at an estimated  $90,000,000 plus over a 20 year payback period.

A cost saving alternative  would have been  to build on  property they already own at Bethel & Career Center Rd. No indication yet if they plan to sell this property since they no-longer intend to use it.  Sale of this land could raise as much as $3,000,000.

The best alternative until proper impact fees are collected for funding a new building would be to have Seniors attend classes from 7:00 A M to 1:00 PM.  with extra curricular activities in the afternoon  or the opportunity to work a job.  Juniors would attend afternoon classes from 1:30 PM to 7:30 PM with extra curricular activities in the AM or the opportunity to work a job.  This would be a win win situation for  teachers, students and taxpayers.  Teachers who teach Juniors or Seniors would either have the afternoon or morning off. This is no different then what goes on at Kankakee Community College or many other High Schools in the Country!  The above could be reversed with the same effect.  Freshman and Sophomores would see no changes.  They would continue to attend classes on their current schedule.  This means only three grade levels would be in the building at one time.  Parking problems would be solved as Seniors would be gone when Juniors are there and vise a versa. 

Impact fees that are being collected are way too low! ( Did you know that Mayor Latham and the Bourbonnais Village Board have given their OK to hundreds of acres for  residential development without any impact fees to help pay for new classrooms that will be needed?  NONE, thereby targeting all of us to pay for new schools for these developments.)  Manteno, Bourbonnais, Bradley, BBCHS and St. George schools must work together to raise impact fees to comparable levels in Will County on all residential developers.  OUTRAGE will never support any school referendum for theses school districts until residential developers in the area pay their fair share!!  Developers pay their fair share through impact fees for roads, sewers and water.  School buildings are also infrastructure.  Those who are profiting from growth must pay the costs of growth.

This must be done now!!  We have a window of opportunity to get this done now before the Metra rail extension and Peotone airport are finalized.  We have only seen the tip of the iceberg of mega-corporate home builders coming into the area at this point but when the Peotone airport and the Metra train extension are finalized,  we will be overrun by mega-corporate home builders which will bankrupt local taxpayer paying for new schools needed for their developments, if we don't have proper impact fees.

Attention:  Did you know that many of the  mega-corporate homebuilders that are already here don't use local skilled labor.  They are bringing their own crews from up north with them.  This is not a question of area union labor being too expensive as unions in the area only build commercial buildings.  Unions have never been involved in residential home building in the area so unions can not be blamed for the fact the mega-corporate home builders are not hiring local skill people but instead are bringing in their crews from up north.   Many bring in their own building materials so when you read Journal Editorials about all the benefits to the community these mega-corporate builders coming into the area are bringing.  Think again!

On May 23,2006  BBCHS voted with the Village of Bradley to create a TIF district in the area of Route 50 and St. George Road thereby agreeing to not collect any regular property taxes from all the commercial development in that area for up to 20 years!!!   BBCHS has the nerve to put on the ballot a huge property tax increases for all  home owners and existing businesses in the area for a new school but those who are benefiting from all the growth i.e. retailers building new stores, will be required to pay nothing, not even regular property taxes.  Just reap the windfall of growth with none of the costs!!  Will voters here be suckers and fall for this by voting yes to this scheme this April?

OUTRAGE needs your donation now to pay for ads  in the area newspapers and on local radio stations opposing this referenda which will cost taxpayers over $90,000,000 over a 20 year payback with interest.  Please make out your check to OUTRAGE  and mail to P. O. Box 222 Bradley, IL 60915 or donate on line by using the Donation Button found near the top of the Home Page.    With proper funding, we can defeat this referenda.  A defeat will send a message to commercial and residential  builders  coming into the area they must pay their fair share of  school building costs needed for their developments.

Alphabetical listing of salaries paid at BBCHS for school year ending June 30, 2005

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