My prediction about what aldermen will be hearing now that there is a $20 wheel tax instead of special assessments for street repairs:
The street in front of my house sucks. It’s got all sorts of potholes and it is a really, really, rough ride. Now that the wheel tax has been adopted and my neighbors and I don’t have to worry about special assessments, we’d like the street rebuilt. Now. No? If we don’t get services for the money, why the hell are we paying that wheel tax? And why does street X get rebuilt before my street does? My street is just as bad.
I also wonder if the folks who rejected street projects because of the onerous special assessments will get another chance now that there aren’t going to be those assessments. The rules have changed, after all.
The assessments, as outrageous as they were, at least functioned to moderate folks’ desire to have their streets repaired so the Department of Public Works wasn’t overwhelmed with demand. Now that those special assessments are gone, it’s doubtful that will be the case. There still is not enough money to repair all the streets that need repairing, but there is no motivation any more for residents to limit their demands for street repairs.
Watch out, aldermen, you got what you wished for. By the way, Ald. Murphy, Pinecrest Street really is in sad shape….
Although some projects may of come from residents, I believe DPW has always determined which streets needed to be rebuilt.
Although DPW did make the final determination, I know that my street (Sunnyside Dr) was slated for rebuilding twice and each time the neighborhood petitioned against it, successfully. The 3rd time the neighborhood decided that maybe the street had deteriorated too much and it was rebuilt. Now that the assessments are gone (ours was nearly $1000), look for demands to overwhelm DPW. I predict that assessments will return.