Chicagoist: Secession Still an Issue in Palatine

Spook

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:33:17 -0600

O.K. I've always supported Pat Quinn over the regular democratic organizations, but Stroger's increase to fund the independent Cook County Health Facility and the County Jail run by Tom Dart is nothing compared to Pat Quinn's behemoth 50 percent increase. So is Palatine & Co gonna succeed from Illinois?

Scooter Libbby

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:35:14 -0600

I fail to see why they would have to buy out the infrastructure. The townships west of O'Hare have paid taxes to Cook County for the same period of time as the rest of us. They paid for their infrastructure. And they could counter with how little they need either the huge county jail or hospital. My best guess is that a appellate court would call it a wash. And the new county would get itself the courthouse in Rolling Meadows, the pick of the sheriff's police, not that there's much good there to pick from & a bunch of cars & trucks along with any county land out there. Or they could try to join Lake or Kane counties. And I live in the city & would love to see Cook County break up.

Mucky Fingers

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:26:53 -0600

Being a "small scale operation" isn't such a bad thing for some suburbs. They always don't suffer from the "inefficiencies" you've suggested. One of the many particular reasons that many people move to the 'burbs is because it offers less red-tape bureaucracy when trying to form the kind of community you wish to live in. For better or worse, provincialism is human nature.

TomDArch

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:44:01 -0600

During that 70s attempt at succession (to form "Lincoln County"), someone at Cook County put together an estimate of the value of the County infrastructure in the area of proposed succession and (informally) said "fine, buy out the infrastructure and have at it." At that time (roughly 30 years ago) the infrastructure was valued at US$1 Billion. If Palatine really wants out, write the County the check and have fun supporting your own County level services. Between the inefficiency of such a small scale operation and the debt service for the infrastructure buy-out, I'd be surprised if the residents and businesses see much of a tax cut. (None of this is to say that the gross "inefficiencies" under the current bozo fest in Cook County are acceptable. But we elected them, we have ourselves to blame. If the sensible residents of both Chicago and the 'burbs would get together and give a damn we could certainly elect enough responsible people to the County posts to really clean house. But this suburban succession crap (with all it's racist undertones) is a cop out.)