Letter: Lessons from attending a board meeting

I recommend taking the time now and again to visit your city council, planning commission and other meetings to see how your government works. Most meetings will be boring but once in a while one will be interesting.

A week ago at the St. Charles Planning and Development meeting the First Street project was discussed. People enjoy it, but it is not finished. Prices have gone up and the estimate to complete it is about $2.5 million. There is nothing budgeted and this caused a stir.

As there is no immediate obvious answer, it was tabled for future discussion. Later, during the public comment portion, it was reported that one developer has made a proposal to the city regarding a development on the old police department site. The proposal for a multi-story building, a possible hotel, seemed to include deeding some of the park and riverfront to the developer and a request for a gift of some $20 million from the city's TIF fund so the developer would be assured of a reasonable return on investment.

My takeaway message is that there is not enough money to complete a project the citizens enjoy but there might be money to encourage more downtown development. I recommend attending some of your city meetings mostly boring, but occasionally bizarre.

Tom Prucher

St. Charles