So I really don't understand what's going on over at LarryDaddy's Garrison project.
Things have really been at a standstill for a long time now. Unfinished walls,unpaved driveways,no signs of any work being done.
And don't even let me get started on the Court St. empty block....piles of debris,dirt, weather-worn building materials....LarryBoy's "ExcellenceEverywhere"Code Coppers could write enough citations, might lift the city outta debt!
(Course won't see THAT...tain't what ya do, it's who your relations are...)
So I really can't understand the budget entries about the many TIF's either....

but they sure make things look swell...

"Garrison School TIF
• Despite the economy and pressure it has placed on high end rental units, they are currently
at 92% occupancy.
• Completed the shell of the main townhome building and Building F.
• Three weeks after placing one unit on the MLS, it was sold for the asking price.
• Acquired a two family home adjacent to the Garrison project and transformed the structure
from a habitual problem to one of the more desirable residences in the area.
• Landscaping was completed
• New sidewalks were installed"
(Of course, the sidewalks were done with 3rd Ward allotment money with the blessings of Dancin'Doug)
but later we read...

GARRISON TIF FUND 2011-2015 FINANCIAL FORECAST (IN 000'S)

Ending Balance ($348) 2015 ( gee, a THIRD OF A MILLION TAX DOLLARS IN THE RED!!!! that worked out well for the city...)

Guess we should just trust Silly Hall with buying more vacant buildings...(TAPCO, Amerock)

So THIS just cracks me up...
"... City Legal Director Patrick Hayes argues that residents in some unincorporated areas would be better served by the city from a public safety standpoint.“In some of these areas, firetrucks may come from seven road miles away when we have trucks seven blocks away,” Hayes said. “It is not good government to be so inefficient when it comes to public safety.”...

THIS hypocritical administration has done everything in it's power to curtail PUBLIC SAFETY and PUBLIC WORKS services to the EXISTING city taxpayers and this tight-suited pinhead has the audacity to feign concern???????????

My word,man...
see this side-note...entitled...

Land-grab plan

so how is it this braintrust in the City Hall administration looks to forcibly annex additional area to the city, (which LOGICALLY will require MORE streets to maintain, MORE calls for police and fire,) yet continue to focus such large TAX-SUBSIDIES and ATTENTION to the "River District"?????????

truly, EXCREMENT EVERYWHERE....

There's been a couple stories lately that just so clearly illustrate the LarryCandidateBoy and Mayor LarryBoy...

Here...
"...The city is going to spend nearly $150,000 on the feasibility study that will consist of 12-hour traffic volume counts, collection of physical data about the roads and intersections, evaluations of alternate routes, public input and a final report from TY Lin International and McClure Engineering Associates...."

AND YET we were sold...

"Action: It’s Time for Action: Moving Beyond the Studies and Task Forces.
Rockford has been studied, planned, and task forced to death. To get past the studies and start getting things done, we must have focused, direct, and accountable leadership..."

Oh,and how about...

"...Everyone needs to know that their mayor will fight for this City and not be compromised,
controlled, or conflicted. Running as an independent means that State and National politics will not control the Rockford agenda...."

OR...

"...The current administration has also designed an approach that has established a culture of dependancy instead of independence...."
(though I can't find direct quote, I also recall his statement 'Rockford can't look to Springfield to solve its' problems' blahblahblah...)

So where does he get off???

"...Mayor Larry Morrissey was in the House gallery to watch the governor speak. He, too, was disappointed in what he heard, especially the governor’s plan to reduce state funding to cities by $307 million. ..."

EXCREMENT EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!

Well, you know, NOTHING about LarryBoy's "Vision"(taxpayers' nightmares) for our city rivals his commitment to that confounded RIVERWALK...
http://www.rrstar.com/news/yourtown/rockford/x1520843463/Money-for-riverwalk-construction-plans-approved
"...As for the criticism the project has come under in the past week, Morrissey said his commitment to investing in the city’s urban core remains strong...."
Look, we've got at least $30mill tied up in the MetroCentre scam, $2mill for 2 STINKING BLOCKS of N.Main(upwards of $5+mill when[IF] it's done)!!! and now $4mill for his monument to
"Our long-term vision is to make Rockford’s riverfront a unique, exciting and attractive community resource that links City residents to our history, geography, economy and culture in mutally sustainable ways."
from http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/development/devsubpages/Summary%20report%20final%2020061206.pdf

Prepared by
Hitchcock Design Group(pssst,pinhead, it's MUTUALLY)
already got a lotta confidence in these clowns,sheesh....a PUBLISHED PAPER,big color page w/spelling errors? ever hear of "spellcheck"? If the architects/engineers make a couple math errors, this damn riverwalk could end up in New Milford!!!!!!!!!!And it goes without saying it WILL go over budget...

So anyway, there's fabulous renderings of the "Hallucination" and near as I can figure the projected $4million project’s signature cable-stayed bridge is a small arc into the river from behind the old Armory to Beattie Park,a necessary concession to those TRUE NIMBY's(Not In My BackYard)Indian Terrace residents when original plans upset this handful of "stakeholders"...(on a side note, I would swear the original compromise was supposed to be a "glorified" sidewalk along N.Main...hhmmmm)

"..Morrissey said his commitment to investing in the city’s urban core remains strong..."

commitment to investing
see, back when all these fabulouslyhipurbanWOWfactors were planned,it was all fine, I suppose, when the city's general fund had some $34million surplus, and investments were gaining returns, and we were only paying bond debt on 7 TIF districts,(not 25-30 or whatever it is now)...
So now we are bombarded with raising taxes and fees, cuts in staff that, in turn, reduce BASIC GOVERNMENT SERVICES, rising crime and unemployment
BUT, BY GOLLY, WE WILL HAVE A COMMITMENT TO INVESTING IN OUR URBAN CORE!!!!!!!!!